


Pokémon Remix: Sparks and Steam

by Mouko, Yuki



Series: Pokémon Remix [4]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions, Pokemon
Genre: Alternate Canon, Comedy, Crimes & Criminals, Drama, F/M, Gen, M/M, Organized Crime, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-07 23:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 52,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3187031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mouko/pseuds/Mouko, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuki/pseuds/Yuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before there was Team Aqua proper, there was a group of mates drinking at a pub. Before there was a rivalry, there were a band of friends harassing a bunch of chumps with flamethrowers. It only went downhill from there, creating one of the most powerful rivalries Hoenn had ever known.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in continuity that is separate from the games, anime, and various manga adaptations. Elements from various incarnations of Pokémon have been combined and remixed to form its own separate universe known as Pokémon Remix. Here, things are taken with a different perspective, and characters and situations might be greatly different than what other media depicts. We hope you enjoy our take on the world of Pokémon.  
> 
> 
> * * *

It had only been two months since Team Aqua had been officially created, so few people knew of their existence. That's why its leader, Aogiri, and his only followers were able to carouse at a pub at the docks without fear that the police might come in and arrest them. Compared to other teams such as Team Rocket, Team Aqua's crimes were paltry at best - some stealing here, a little public disorderly conduct there - nothing to truly put their name on the map.

 Currently, the worst that they could be accused of was having a _very_ good time at 'The Soggy Sea-Dog' pub.

Music blared as laughter filled the air, mingling with the heavy scent of alcohol, smoke, and sea water. While no more rowdy than the rest of the patrons, Team Aqua stood out quite visibly among the crowd. Having shoved several tables together just to fit everyone, a crowd of blue and white filled the center of the pub.

Or perhaps what drew the most attention was the massive white Feraligatr with cyan neck ridges and underbelly leaning against the large man that led the group. She had a large black halter around her powerful chest, sporting the mostly unknown symbol of Team Aqua – a vertical alpha symbol with a sharp tip and boney stubs to make it look more appropriate for a pirate. While it was white on the humans' clothing, hers was bright blue.

Aogiri waved down a saucy looking waitress. He was a rather handsome man with a bronze tan, bright blue eyes, and wild brown hair hidden under a blue bandanna that proudly displayed his team's logo. His short beard around his face was the same color as his hair, as were the twin crescent mustache around his mouth. He wore a pure black leisure suit with no shirt to hide his bare chest, where his chain necklace could be seen as a golden charm of the Team Aqua logo attached to an achor dangled from it. "Bring us another round over here!"

Ushio slammed his mug down on the table with a hearty sigh, then reached up to wipe at his mouth with the back of his hand. He was a behemoth of a man with deep bronze skin, considerably larger than the rest of his human companions. His outfit looked as though it had once been a dark blue wetsuit with lighter blue trim that burst when squeezed upon his muscled frame, tearing it so that only the gloves and lower pants remained. A rope belt wrapped around his waist, holding up his pants, as well as another one around his neck like a necklace. He had a short beard much like Aogiri's, though the black hair on his head was also trimmed quite low. It allowed his blue triangular markings to be visible as they framed his face along his forehead, chin, and cheeks. On his chest was the symbol of Team Aqua branded on his skin, formed by a lighter tone that stood out against the darker skin. "Whoooo... and another one bites the dust!"

Shelly belched and let out a laugh. A redhead with curves as abundant as the ones on her body, she wore blue bell-bottom pants and a matching vest, a black tank top around her chest, and a blue bandanna with the team's logo. "Damn, I love the imported stuff. It's got a great kick to it!"

Izumi giggled as she idly ran her finger around the rim of her own drink, a fruity little number with a bright red umbrella in it. She had dark skin similar to Aogiri and Ushio, though her black hair was long and unruly with a blue streak in her bangs. Her two-piece wetsuit hugged her body, dark blue with white trim and light blue highlights on her feet and ankles. She wore a belt made out of a gold chain and flashes of skin could be seen at the openings along her thighs and shoulders while the wetsuit covered her arms like long gloves with only the thumb open. Like the others, she also sported the team symbol - it was on her chest, white with a light blue center. Finishing off the outfit was a pair of yellow swimming goggles that rested on her head. "I wonder, is it the booze or is it the _person_ ~?"

Shelly grinned widely. "Do I have to choose?"

"Not - at - all~!" Izumi said, her grin widening to match her comrade's.

Matt sipped his root beer as he watched Ushio started to chug another mug. His outfit was similar to Shelly's, with the blue vest, bell-bottom pants, and bandanna. While he was quite tall, his frame was more heavy than Ushio - built like a brick house rather than the other man's bulldozer. Peeking out from under his bandanna, his long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail that trailed down to his shoulder blades. "Okay, designated not-drunk-off-his-ass-guy is saying that's the last one for you tonight, pal. You've hit your 10 pint limit with that one."

Ushio paused at that before he let out a plaintive whine. "What? _Already_? But I can still see straight!"

Matt shrugged. "You shouldn't have gotten into a drinking contest with those college kids. You know they're wimps and can't handle anything that isn't watered down."

Aogiri laughed and elbowed Ushio's side. "The looks on their faces was worth it though, don't you think?"

Ushio let out a deep, bellowing laugh that caused the table to shake. "You don't challenge _me_ and get away with just a spankin'!"

Matt snatched Aogiri's mug before the waitress could refill it. "Glad you think so, boss, since _you've_ already hit _your_ 10 pint limit."

Aogiri stared at the empty air where his glass used to be and frowned. "Okay, starting to reassess whether it was worth it now."

"That's why I stick to my, what did you call them?" Izumi turned to eye Ushio, her expression smug. "'Fancy-Pansy-Fruity-Ass drinks'? I can drink as much as I want and take my dear sweet time getting wasted."

Shelly giggled, grinning widely. "And my import drinks have a lot higher proof so I spend less money getting myself blitzed and I don't have to keep going to the bathroom like a busted fire hydrant."

"See~? Be smart about it," Izumi said, with a sly giggle. "Not everyone can drink like Levi, you know." She cast a meaningful glance to the Feraligatr before she glanced down at her own Pokéball, where her Pokémon had retreated to after she had passed out from her own imbibing. "She's the only one left."

Leviathan rumbled as she shifted her chin, rubbing the top of Aogiri's head with it before she let out another low rumble.

Aogiri looked up at his partner and patted her nose. "Right, right, probably time to wrap it up anyway, right, Levi?"

Leviathan snapped her jaws together, making an audible clicking noise before she stopped and turned her head, going still. She let out a low growl that trembled in her chest and against Aogiri's back.

Aogiri's jovial mood evaporated as he noticed Leviathan &#39;s reaction. He looked in the direction his Feraligatr was staring and saw the source - a rather unruly man who had one too many drinks was pawing at the waitress who was trying unsuccessfully to escape unmolested.

"Hey," the drunk said. "When a guy says nice things about you, you say _thank you_!"

The waitress was doing her best to keep her smile, even when her face was furious. "If you need another drink, I can help you, hun. But if you slap my ass again, I'm closing the tap."

The drunk snorted. "Hah! That's gratitude! See if I tell you you've got killer tits then!"

Aogiri tapped the drunk on the shoulder, and when that failed to get the other man's attention, he spun the drunk around on the stool. "Pardon me, but I couldn't help but notice you're harassing one of the employees of my favorite establishment. Kindly pay your bill and get the hell out before I throw you in the drink."

The drunken man glared at Aogiri. "What?! No! I'm a paying customer! She's got to pay attention to me so long as I shove bills down her tits!"

Aogiri's smile turned sinister as he cracked his knuckles. "Oh goodie, I was hoping you'd say that."

The man suddenly took in Aogiri's height and muscular physique. He scrambled back, fumbling for his belt. "Y-you wanna fight? F-fine! My Pokémon'll beat yours down any day!"

Aogiri chuckled. "You wanna settle this with Pokémon?" At those words, a low growl came from behind Aogiri before suddenly the massive Feraligatr's head appeared, rising slowly until she stood her full ten feet. She towered over not only Aogiri but the drunk as well, glaring down at him with eyes that seemed to glow in the faint bar light. Aogiri watched as the man's eyes bugged out at the sight of the reptile Pokémon. The Feraligatr flashed a smile filled with razor sharp teeth. "Fine with me. Levi loves to _play_."

The drunk fell over backwards off the stool then scrambled for the door, only to be caught by the back of the shirt by Aogiri.

"The check, remember?" Aogiri said sweetly before swiping the drunk's wallet and tossing it to the waitress. "Plus a _generous_ tip to your _very_ patient waitress."

"H-hey!" the drunk sputtered as he struggled in Aogiri's grasp. "You can't do this! I'll sue!"

A bark of laughter came from the table, originating from Ushio. "You hear that? He's gonna _sue_! I wonder how he's gonna do that from the bottom of the harbor?"

"Or Levi's stomach," Izumi said as she sipped her drink.

"Actually it'd be both after Levi goes to the bathroom," Matt said slyly.

Shelly snorted and wiped her nose with a napkin. "Damn it, don't make me laugh while I'm drinking! Now I've got booze burning my nose."

Aogiri leaned in close enough to smell the drunk's feted breath. "What you're gonna do is run home and not even _think_ about coming back here unless it's to apologize to everyone for being an asshole. Got it?"

The drunk jerked back as Aogiri let him go. He swiped his wallet back from the waitress when she held it out for him and scuttled quickly to the door without another word.

"Bwaaa _ha_!" Ushio burst out as he pointed after the fleeing drunk. "He runs _away_ about as well as he runs his _mouth_ , don't he?!"

The waitress giggled before she moved to kiss Aogiri on the cheek. "Thanks a lot, hun. The next round's on the house," Her eyes then sparkled with amusement. "Next time you visit, anyway. I hear you're already at your 10 pint limit."

Aogiri stared at the waitress before he began to sulk, exaggerating the expression until the rest of the admins burst out laughing. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice that, Paula."

Paula giggled as she covered her mouth with her hand. "Even if I hadn't, I'm sure Matt would've told me."

Matt raised his glass of root beer high. "I had a snarky comment all prepped and ready to fire, Cap'n."

Aogiri snapped his fingers. "Damn!"

Izumi giggled before she grabbed her drink and downed the rest, then gently set the glass back down on the table. "Well, then! I guess that's our cue to pack it in."

Shelly wiped her mouth after finishing her own drink. "Sounds fine to me. My wallet is starting to feel a little light anyway."

"Don't got a choice, do I?" Ushio asked with an exaggerated sigh. "Not since 'pparently I gotta be able to leave on my own feet instead of gettin' dragged out like a sensible person."

"Of course," Izumi said as she lightly smacked the massive man's arm. "You think we could drag you back to the boat, even if we all took a limb?"

"And Typhoon is too drunk to drag you out," Matt said before finishing off his drink. "So you're stuck walking on your own."

"I'm sure Levi could manage it!" Ushio said as he flashed the Feraligatr a thumbs up, who responded with a toothy grin and a wag of her tail.

"You sure you want to trust her?" Izumi asked, with an arch of her eyebrow and a grin. "After she tossed you in the bay last time?"

Ushio paused at that, then huffed. "Yeah, I sobered up _real_ quick after that, huh?"

Leviathan snapped her mouth open and shut repeatedly, making a clicking noise.

"Nah, go ahead!" Aogiri chuckled. "Let Levi carry you. I'm curious to see what happens."

Ushio raised his hands in defeat. "Naw, man. I'm _good_."

Aogiri tilted his head, his smile wide. "You sure? I think Levi really wants to give you that ride."

Leviathan grinned widely as her tail continued to wag behind her, lashing about.

Matt pulled out a camera from his pocket. "Go on, Ushio! Let's add some more photos for the album!"

"Yeah, I'm _sure_ she does," Ushio said as he eyed the Feraligatr. He then turned to the other male admin. "It sounds like Matt's volunteerin', though!"

Matt shook his head. "Nope! I'm designated not-drunk-dude because I'm the one with the camera."

Shelly quirked an eyebrow at Matt. "You mean you just want to be sober so you can catch us acting like drunken idiots."

Matt feigned innocence even as he held his camera close. "I think of it as my duty to give you all reminders why we have drinking limits in the first place."

"While laughing and pointing," Shelly said.

"The best lessons involve humor," Matt said cheerfully.

Leviathan moved closer to Ushio, her grin still quite wide. She leaned forward to rest her head on the table, her tail wiggling about behind her. Her smile grew as she watched the admin quickly back away, keeping his distance.

"Oya, oya, time to head back! I'm leavin' ya all behind if you don't move yer asses!" Ushio said as he made his way to the entrance of the bar.

Aogiri burst out laughing and gave Leviathan a pat on the head. "Sorry, Levi. Better luck next time we go out for drinks."

"Coooowaaard!" Izumi called out after Ushio, smirking.

"Ain't no coward, I-!" Ushio snapped as he stopped outside the bar door, whirling to shake his fist at Izumi. He paused as he was immediately greeted by the scent of smoke, faint but still enough to overpower the other scents in the air. His eyebrows arched upwards before he turned his head and froze. "... _Uh_."

Aogiri lost his cheerful demeanor as he saw the expression on Ushio's face. "What's up?"

Ushio blinked slowly as he stared off in to the distance, though the people inside the bar couldn't see exactly what. "...The dock's on fire. You think the boat's okay?"

In an instant, Aogiri was moving, dashing past Ushio with Leviathan right behind him. "Don't just stand there! We've got to check on our ride!"

Thankfully, it didn't appear that the _whole_ dock was on fire, leaving Team Aqua's boat as well as many of the others untouched. Instead, it raged on towards the warehouses and the commercial boats docked in the area. The whole area was in a complete blaze, from the massive ships to the storage facilities. The smoke rose skyward, thick and black.

Aogiri let out a low whistle as he took in the devastation. "Now this is a lot of destruction. Gotta be someone behind it."

"Yeah, but who?" Izumi asked as she crossed her arms. "With how much it's spread, it couldn't have been an accident."

"Think it was those guys? The ones in uniforms?" Ushio asked as he pointed deep in to the heart of the fire. As the others turned to follow his finger, they were able to spot people rushing about the inferno, in strange outfits. It consisted of a large red hood with triple horns - two larger ones at the sides and one out front barely more than a bump attached to a shawl that mostly covered a black top before flowing out the back like a cape. Red wristbands and leggings completed the outfit, along with black skirts on the women and pants on the men. Dead center on their chests was a symbol, something reminiscent of a stylized volcano with three peaks and an oval indent at the base, forming the letter M.

Shelly's expression deadpanned. "Considering they're using flamethrowers, I'd say so, Captain Obvious!"

"You mean we're seeing _arson_ right here in front of us?" Matt asked, his voice full of wonder, before he started snapping some pictures. "Awesome!"

Aogiri smiled crookedly. "All those in favor of getting a closer gander?"

The answer came in unison, a loud "Aye!" as all the assembled crew raised their fists in the air.

"That's what I thought," Aogiri said, his voice booming with cheer as he strode towards danger with a wide smile on his face.

The fire consumed everything it touched, being egged on by the flamethrowers carried about by the men and women in uniform. Sucking out fuel from the large backpacks strapped to the arsonists' back, the gun-like metal device spewed forth a constant and consistent stream of flickering destruction. Wood turned to ash as metal became hot enough to glow under the assault, with boxes of goods completely destroyed.

Aogiri approached one of the arsonists from behind and tapped them on the shoulder. When the man looked back, Aogiri took the distraction as an opportunity to take the flamethrower right out of the arsonist's hands, shutting it off in the process. "Now isn't this a beauty?"

"What-!?" the man sputtered, startled as he jerked back. "What are you-!?"

The man's raised voice drew the attention of the other arsonists, who immediately froze and whirled to stare in confusion at Aogiri as the rest of his crew approached.

"Isn't that something you'd expect the friggin' _military_ to have?" Ushio asked.

Aogiri relieved the man of the flamethrower completely before the arsonist could react. He hefted the device and let out a low whistle. "Surprisingly light too. Top notch stuff here."

Matt took a look at the nozzle of the gun, careful not to touch it as it was still very hot. "I don't recognize the model, so it's probably custom made."

Shelly snickered. "Like anyone who runs an operation to this scale would've been dumb enough to use guns with serial numbers still on them."

One of the women in red outright gawked at Team Aqua. "Are you all stupid or suicidal?! Get out of here!"

"I'd love to take it apart," Izumi murmured as she pursed her lips. "It's a serious piece of hardware."

Aogiri grinned at the arsonists. "So is this a private party, or can anyone join in on the mayhem?"

The disarmed arsonist looked to his comrades, still dumbfounded. "I think someone should get the boss..."

A blur of motion streaked past the arsonists and snatched up the flamethrower out of Aogiri's hands with a mouth full of sharp teeth. Leviathan was there at his side in an instant, pushing herself between him and the attacker. The giant Feraligatr stared down at her opponent, a Houndoom with a coat as dark as night with an underside as red the flames that danced around them. The Houndoom regarded Leviathan with sharp eyes as he stood a distance away, the barrel of the flamethrower clutched in his mouth, both Pokémon waiting to see if the other would attack. The sound of a whistle made the dog Pokémon's ears perk up and he immediately returned to his master with the recovered weapon.

Footsteps drew the group's attention over as two individuals approached. They appeared to be men, one taller than the other. The taller man moved first, as if leading the way. He wore the same uniform as the men and women around him, though his face was obscured by a black jester's mask with red eyes and a frown. Behind him, the shorter man also wore a mask - red with black eyes and a smile reminiscent of a smirk, as well as the team's logo on its forehead. Slick red hair ran down the back of his head before coming to a stop at his shoulders, not hidden by a hood like those around him. His outfit, however, was much different. He wore a red changshan that reached his knees, with the left sleeve black and his chest area similarly colored with a jagged edge like a mountain range. At the center of the black was the same emblem on his forehead and the rest of the grunts, the mark of their organization.

Wordlessly, the shorter man stopped as the Houndoom came to him. The masked man reached a black-gloved hand over to touch the canine's brow in greeting. While his face couldn't be seen, his eyes could be _felt_ as it drifted across the Team Aqua admins before settling on their leader.

Aogiri let out a low whistle of his own as he looked over the masked man. "So you're the boss, I presume? Damn impressive Houndoom you've got there. It caught me completely off-guard!"

Shelly smirked. "Nice masks. So does that make this a costume party?"

The man in the changshan remained silent for a moment before he let out a low, barely perceivable snort.

The other masked man was far less silent, crossing his arms. "It's just a bunch of drunks." His voice was muffled by the mask, but his tone was undeniably condescending.

"Hey!" Matt said, shifting from mock anger to a grin in the span of a second. "Not _all_ of us are drunk. Pay attention."

"This isn't _Happy Hour_ ," the man in the black mask continued. "Isn't there a _puddle of urine_ somewhere that you're supposed to be face down in?"

Aogiri chuckled. "Ooh, I think we've got a clever one here." He looked at the other masked man. "So how about you? You any wittier than your chum here?"

The arsonists without masks shifted nervously. "Sir?" one asked.

The smaller man remained silent for several moments before he made a great show of turning on his heels, completely ignoring Aogiri as he raised his hand and waved it dismissively towards the grunt. "We've sent a loud enough message."

The other man nodded before he reached in to his pocket and pulled out an electronic flare. Flicking it on, he raised the device skyward so that bright lights of all colors flashed, sharp and visible against the flames.

Aogiri's interest was piqued. "Oh yeah? And what kind of message is that - I like fire?"

The smaller man continued to ignore Aogiri as he walked away, towards the open center of the dock. He crossed his arms behind his back, waiting as his Houndoom dropped the weapon so that the disarmed grunt could reclaim it before moving to stand attentively by the man's side.

Aogiri snapped his fingers. "Yo, you deaf or just ignoring me?"

The man stood with his back to Aogiri, unresponsive. Instead, he looked upwards and watched as a helicopter appeared from among the clouds, slowly coming closer. The fire whipped about violently due to the wind generated by the blades, as did the man's changshan, fluttering wildly about around him.

The hooded man pocked his device and turned his attention back to the other man, placing a gloved hand over his chest. "Leader."

The man in the changshan wordlessly lifted his hand and gave it a flick, a small and vague gesture.

The hooded man nodded before he turned, with a mighty sweep of his arm. "Move out!"

A flurry of activity followed the command as men and women scattered about immediately, rushing with their heavy machinery towards vans - big, black vans that Aogiri and his crew hadn't immediately noticed among the wreckage. As the men and women boarded, the helicopter finally came down in front of the two masked men, the blades not stopping as it hovered in front of them.

Ushio glanced about as people scurried about, disappearing in to the vans quickly. He frowned before he whirled to glare at the masked men, shaking a fist at them as he stepped forward. " _Oi_! He asked you a question, ya pompous-"

The large man didn't have a chance to finish his words as a sudden burst appeared beside him. Ushio yelped as something flew past him at amazing speeds, the shockwave alone knocking him flat on his behind.

Leviathan let out a low growl as she crouched protectively in front of Aogiri, her head turning past the Aqua admins, prompting their gazes to follow hers.

A flaming fireball darted over the docks at lightning speeds before it dissipated, revealing a Talonflame. Its feathers were red with black markings, and a white underside that flickered against the water. It beat its massive wings as it surged upwards, then darted back towards the team. The bird Pokémon flew past Aogiri and its crew before it came to a stop behind the hooded man, its massive wings flapping as it hovered.

The hooded man let out a snort as he stood with his hands on his hips. " _Children_ shouldn't play with _fire_. Go home before you get yourselves _hurt_."

As he spoke, the man in the changshan finished boarding the helicopter and finally turned about, directing his attention to the hooded man. "Stop wasting my time."

The hooded man paused, then gave a quick salute before he too moved towards the helicopter.

Aogiri scowled at the man in the changshan. "So you're going to ignore me, huh? Ignore this." He nodded to Leviathan, conveying all he needed to with just a look.

Leviathan lunged forward as she let out a snarl, whipping her tail about as she snapped her powerful jaws together in an obvious threat.

A plume of flame appeared in front of Leviathan's face as the Houndoom charged to get between her and his master. The canine Pokémon growled, keenly ready for a fight.

Aogiri smirked at the Houndoom. "Let's battle!"

A sharp whistle came from the masked man, prompting the Houndoom to stop and flick his ears back in acknowledgement of his trainer's call. "Don't waste your time _rolling_ in the _mud_. There's no one here _worth acknowledging_ , let alone _battling_ like an _equal_."

Aogiri's jaw tightened his smile. "Worried about mud, huh? Well good thing Levi's here to clean it off!"

Leviathan took a deep breath before she sent a powerful burst of water in the direction of the Houndoom. The canine easily dodged the attack, leaping backwards as the water struck the ground and shattered the concrete. Without even so much as glancing back at the Feraligatr, the Houndoom rushed towards the helicopter before leaping up in to the opening, coming to a stop between his trainer and the other masked man with the Talonflame.

The masked redhead said nothing, save to let out another derisive snort, before the helicopter began to take off once more, rising above the ground. At that moment, the black vans shot past the Aqua admins, their tires squealing. One of the vans even moved dangerously close to Aogiri, driving past and narrowly dodging Leviathan's snapping jaws as she threatened the vehicle from getting any closer.

None had a chance to respond before the helicopter disappeared in to the clouds, leaving Aogiri and his crew standing among the flames entirely by themselves.

"Looks like the party's over," Shelly said dryly as she watched the vans speed off. "We better split before the cops think we did this."

Izumi tilted her head, listening to the faint sound of sirens in the distance. She glanced over to Shelly and nodded before she turned to Ushio. "You okay?"

Ushio growled as he fumbled to his feet, his movements shaky. The alcohol made his balance a bit rough, but it wasn't enough to keep him on his backside. "That sneaky sonnova bitch..."

Matt snatched Ushio before the other man could teeter over. "Whoa, easy there. I think you're a bit more blasted than you thought."

"He's _blasted_ alright," Izumi growled as she glanced at Aogiri. "That Talonflame _blasted_ right by him. It could've taken his head off, and only Levi saw it coming."

"I think we underestimated those guys," Matt muttered.

Aogiri's eyes were still on the helicopter as it slowly retreated, shrinking into a dark dot in the sky. He similarly noticed the sounds of sirens as firefighters undoubtedly were on their way to quench the flames of the dock, with the police hot on their heels as well. His hands slowly curled into fists as his eyes narrowed. "Oh, it is _on_ now."


	2. Chapter 2

Grunts in uniforms of red and black hurried along the gangplank, rushing on and off the monstrous sea-faring tanker as it sat tied to the dock. As men and women disembarked carrying arms full of cargo, others in turn boarded to take their place. Crates upon crates were stacked in the black vans until they simply couldn't fit anything else, at which point the vehicle then drove off only to be replaced with one of its empty brethren.

Watching their lackeys work, the redheaded masked man stood nearby, his arms crossed. He kept a very watchful eye over the men and women as they worked, filling the vans to capacity.

"For a supposedly _empty_ vessel, it carried quite a bit of cargo," the man in the black mask said, his tone rather amused. "Why, it's almost as if they _lied_ to customs."

"I'm sure we'll find quite a bit of contraband among those crates," the redhead said as he tapped a finger against his arm, still keeping them crossed. "Given the port of origin, Rhyhorn and rhino horns would be my first suspicion."

"We could always _ask_ ," came an amused female voice, from within the earpieces hidden in the mask's ear areas. It broadcast the words of another masked individual, a woman with a white mask with a red smile. She wore an outfit similar to the black-masked man, with the tri-horned hood and long cape. Instead of the black shirt and pants, she wore a sleek black dress with a slit up her left leg, showing off both her pale flesh and the knee-high black high-heeled boots she wore.

The woman stood in the control room for the large ship, looking through the massive glass windows to survey the docks below. She giggled before she turned to regard the men directly behind her, bound by hefty rope.

The captives looked to be the captain of the ship and his first mate, as well as the rest of his crew scattered about the room – seven individuals in all. The captive men glared at the woman as they struggled uselessly against the rope, unable to express their anger in any other way.

The woman crossed her arms, slowly approaching as she sashayed her hips. Slowly, she lifted her left leg so that it slipped through the slit in her clothes, revealing more of her smooth leg. The captain stopped to stare, momentarily forgetting his anger at the sight, before the masked woman suddenly slammed her heel down on the man's crotch, causing the captain to bark out a pained cry as he hunched forward, his first mate staring with wide eyes.

"I'm _sure_ I could get a _few_ words out of them," the woman said, her tone seductive even as she ground her heel in to the captain's groin.

"There's no point," the redhead said as he tilted his head, his covered eyes drifting up to the woman's position, though he couldn't see in to the boat. "Whatever their cargo, it doesn't change anything. We'll still send a loud enough message that _poaching_ isn't quite as _profitable_ as these barbarians had hoped."

"But of course," the woman responded.

"I've finished downloading the files," said another woman to the first's far right. She wore an elaborate red and black vest that crisscrossed in the front before trailing off around her hips and up to her head to form a hood with two yellow horns. It rested overtop a red dress with long sleeves, and a pair of industrial gloves and knee-high boots completed the outfit. She spoke in a voice without emotion, which contrasted sharply with the mask she wore that looked like the classic black on yellow smiley face. "Some of them are encrypted, but we can crack them back at headquarters."

"Then we're done here," the redhead said, turning his head to the black-masked man. "Get the flamethrowers-"

A frantic voice suddenly cut across the secured channel of the masked group. "Boss! Look out, there's a-"

The redhead paused, noting the warning. However, before he could question it, the answer came for him - in a rush of water. An enormous wave rocked the large boat in its containment, causing it and the chains confining it to creak as the ocean rose up quickly. Water slammed in to the dock, sending both cargo and people flying as the salt water hit them hard.

The redhead yelped as he was thrown in to one of the warehouses, his black-masked second in command beside him. Boxes and uniformed grunts were sent further in to the dock's yard before they finally came to a stop, bodies battered and crates cracked open against whatever solid surface they hit.

The redhead choked and spat up sea water, his mask partially dislodged. The black-masked man reached over to pull it fully back in to place, his own hand still firmly over his own mask. The two were drenched, their sagging clothes clinging to their bodies.

In the helicopter, the fifth masked member of the team, a rather stout individual wearing a gray mask bearing a demonic expression watched the situation from above in dismay. He was dressed in a red jacket vest with the jagged black trim, red shorts and matching boots over a thick red bodysuit. "Boss? Number 2? You two okay?"

The leader's response was more coughing as he hacked up sea water, before he reached up to shakily brush his hair back, red locks scattered about. "W-w-what... the _hell_ was that-!?"

"That wasn't natural," the black-masked man said, his voice gruff as he was similarly waterlogged. "I think it was a water-type attack-"

"It's called Surf," Aogiri said as he rode atop Leviathan's back towards the dock. He smiled widely at the shocked reactions of the men in red, his arms folded in front of him. "Hello, Masky, great to see you again."

Leviathan floated on the water as Aogiri stood on her back, her grin visible even in the water. In the water with her were three other Pokémon and their trainers, spaced apart as they smugly regarded their handiwork - Ushio atop a dark blue and gray Swampert, Shelly on her black and blue Garchomp, and Matt with his dark blue and green Blastoise.

The redhead stopped to stare at the sudden arrivals before rage flared inside him, the emotion giving him the strength to stumble to his feet. "Y-you-!?"

"Oh, he's _acknowledgin'_ ya now, ain't he?" Ushio asked rhetorically before he barked out a laugh and smacked his Swampert's back muscles.

Aogiri let out a laugh of his own. "I'm flattered! And here I was wondering if you'd even remember me."

The redhead paused, his fists clenched. "...'Remember'?"

Aogiri blinked. "Wait, you mean you really _don't_ remember?"

The redhead stared at Aogiri for a moment before he tilted his head slightly, directing his attention to his second-in-command.

The black-masked man wiped at his chin with the back of his hand. "A week or so ago, a bunch of _drunks_ wandered on to the scene during one of our jobs. It looks like the same group, probably just as _sober_."

The redhead was silent for a moment before he straightened up. "I can't be expected to remember something as pointless as that."

Aogiri's grin turned sinister. "Pointless, huh? Well maybe this time we'll leave more of an _impression_." He nodded to his teammates who grinned back at him.

The Team Aqua admins shared the vicious smirk, as did their Pokémon. The water around them began to rise as the three Pokémon simultaneously made ready to use the attack again, causing the liquid to surge about them as it prepared for another onslaught.

The redhead tensed, his widening eyes obstructed by his mask. "A-are you insane-!?" His voice rose several decibels, as the water was rising quickly.

The black-masked man threw his arm out protectively in front of the redhead as he grit his teeth. While they could summon their Pokémon, both the Houndoom and the Talonflame would be helpless against the water attack - the damage to them would be devastating.

A sudden loud crackling sound drew the attention of Team Aqua to the boat, where the woman in the smiley face mask stood with a pair of cattle prods that flared blue with electricity. She gave the crew a jaunty wave before tossing one of the sparking rods into the ocean beside them.

The sparks moved quickly and viciously, racing across the surface of the water to the Pokémon. The Pokémon took the brunt of the attack, with only the Swampert and Garchomp immune to the electricity as it coursed through the other two water-type Pokémon violently. However, their immunity didn't carry over to the humans, the electricity arching up from the water to lash out at the members of Team Aqua to give them a small taste of what Leviathan and the Blastoise were feeling.

"Gya-gyack-!?" Ushio yowled as he jerked, his legs wobbling as the shock attacked his body. While minor thanks to being dispersed over a large area of water, it was still _an electric shock_.

Aogiri tried to resist the electricity as it made his muscles spasm, but he wound up collapsing atop of Leviathan's back, who hissed in displeasure.

Matt howled as he lost control of his body, electricity making him shudder. Although the level of voltage was not life-threatening, it was only thanks to Kappa that he did not fall into the water.

Shelly had tried to order Goliath out of the water before the prod landed, but ultimately she had been too slow. She inwardly cursed the woman in the smiling mask who appeared to be mocking them with a friendly wave.

The woman in the white mask emerged alongside her comrade, nudging her lightly in the side before she swiftly grabbed the edge of the railing and did a delicate flip, jumping off the boat and landing safely on the dock below. She then turned to the stunned grunts, who were sluggishly getting to their feet. " _Get to the vans_!" she barked, with a wide sweep of her arm.

The command snapped the redhead out of his shock and he similarly gave a gesture of his arm. "Forget the remaining crates! We're _leaving_!"

The woman in the smiley face mask gave one last wave to the Team Aqua members before joining her companions, hurrying down the gangplank before joining the other admins and her leader.

"North route is clear," said the man in the helicopter. "We're good to go!"

Just as the electricity had finally come to an end, releasing its victims from its grasp, the masked man and his team had already composed themselves. The sounds of engines being started echoed loudly in the air, the vehicles still functioning despite having been assaulted by the salt water - at least for the moment.

Within moments, Team Aqua was alone, soaking and _sore_ in more ways than one.

 "Are you alright!?" Izumi asked as she quickly landed on the dock, riding atop her purple Gyarados.

Leviathan climbed up on to the dock, her body wobbling before she dropped on to her belly against the cool concrete. She let out a plaintive whine before glancing up to Aogiri, the pirate slumped against her back.

Aogiri moved through sheer stubborn will, though he shook slightly in the process. He straightened up and looked in the direction where the opposing team had retreated, his eyes narrowing. "Okay then. Looks like we need to step up our game next time."

"Those dirty bastards!" Ushio snarled as he clung to his Pokémon's back, the Swampert having an easier time getting out of the water due to his immunity to electric 'attacks'. "First he forgets us, then he shocks us!?"

"D-damn it," Matt muttered shakily, trying hard not to fall off of Kappa as the Blastoise uneasily climbed up onto the dock.

Shelly didn't bother trying to stand, allowing Goliath to carry her as he glided over towards the others. "Well _that_ was a bust."

Izumi glanced at the discarded crates littering the dock. There weren't many, making it a rather poor consolation prize. She turned to look at her comrades and grimaced. "Take a second to sit down."

Aogiri let out some colorful language as he and his admins took a moment to recover from the mild electrocution. He kneaded the muscles in his arms and legs to erase the twitching feeling inside them. "Okay... Next time, we pay them back _double_."

"Where the hell did they come from!?" Ushio demanded as he slammed his fist on the ground, then flinched at the contact.

"Inside the boat," Izumi said, then sighed. "I'm sorry, I was so busy watching the dock..."

Aogiri waved off the apology. "We underestimated them. Seems like they're not the types to play around."

Shelly grumbled as she ineffectively smoothed out her frizzed hair. "Next time, let's plan something special for 'smiley'."

"I second that," Matt muttered.

"We need to find out how many of them there actually _are_ ," Izumi said, crossing her arms. "This brings them up to four... plus whoever was in the helicopter."

"So five plus grunts and Pokémon," Aogiri said, frowning. "We might be a bit outnumbered here."

Matt rubbed his face. "So, what, do we start up a membership recruitment drive? Hire some goons?"

Aogiri took a moment to consider the suggestions before letting out an annoyed breath. "Meh, sounds like too much work."

"Bah, we don't need no help!" Ushio said as he slammed his fist in to his palm - gingerly. "Didntcha see them _quakin'_ in their boots at us!? They only got away 'cuz they surprised us!"

"We just have to be a little more creative," Aogiri said, letting his eyes scan the area. "And we should start by finding out what it was they were after and what those jokers actually _do_ besides set shit on fire."

"Shelly and I'll check the crates," Izumi said as she nodded to her female counterpart, then turned her head back to Aogiri. "You check out the ship."

Aogiri got to his feet and stretched out the lingering kinks. He frowned at how his muscles continued to feel strange. "Sounds good."

Shelly looked surprisingly rejuvenated when she got off Goliath's back and held out a yellow colored spray bottle to Aogiri. "Here. The shock was mild, so a little paralysis heal does wonders."

Aogiri flashed Shelly a smile before he began to spray himself. "Good thinking there, Shelly."

Leviathan stood up as well and gave a small shake before she snorted and snapped jaws together.

Aogiri grinned and applied the paralysis heal far more liberally on Leviathan than he did himself as Shelly passed out more bottles to Ushio and Matt. "Doing okay, Levi?"

Leviathan turned to look at her trainer and nodded. She narrowed her eyes as she flashed her sharp teeth and snapped her jaws again.

Aogiri grinned and gave Leviathan a pat on the head. "Glad to hear it."

Ushio accepted the spray and used on himself before he turned to help Matt with his Blastoise. "How ya doin', Kappa?"

Kappa let out a snort and bumped his head against Matt's hand.

Matt smiled wanly at his partner as he rubbed Kappa's head. "Kappa just needs to take five for a bit."

"That's fine, he 'n Typhoon can keep watch while we check the ship out," Ushio said as he jerked his thumb towards the large vessel. "Just in case those morons come back thinkin' they can jump us a second time."

Typhoon let out a croak before he flexed his arms, his eyes narrowed.

With the group mostly rejuvenated, Aogiri led his crew onto the ship. There wasn't much left after Team Magma had ransacked it, but that did little to discourage Team Aqua as they split up to search.

After only a few minutes of looking around, Aogiri came across the captive crew tied up in the helm's cabin. The men looked at him with a mixture of eager relief and wariness, as some couldn't quite tell if he was there to help or hurt them.

"Well, well," Aogiri said. "Lookie here, Levi. Looks like Masky and his crew weren't picking on just us tonight." He approached the group and reached for the bindings. "So, anyone injured, captain?"

The captain seemed alarmed at the sight of Aogiri at first before his expression grew tentative. "You... you're not with them?"

Aogiri flashed a grin. "Nope, no red uniforms or masks on me and my crew."

The captain's first mate slumped forward. "Oh, thank _Arceus_..."

The captain glanced back at his subordinate before returning his attention to Aogiri. "Y-you... you've got to help us! Those... those insane _thugs_ kidnapped us and pillaged our cargo!"

Aogiri freed the captain before working on the rest of the crew, cutting their rope with a diving knife. "What did they want? Seems like a lot of trouble for just a snatch and grab."

"T-they're insane, clearly," the captain said, his eyes drifting over to Leviathan as the large Feraligatr stood in the doorway, watching. "They most likely intended to kill us all once they were done."

Aogiri's mouth twisted like he tasted something sour. "Anyone hurt bad? I've got a gal who's a fully trained medic."

"Just a few bruises," one of the crewmen admitted as he stretched once freed of his bindings.

Leviathan turned to look at the crewmen before she returned her attention to Aogiri. She couldn't quite fit in the door and thus had to stand just outside it, her large frame taking up most of the entrance.

"Damn, that's one huge Feraligatr," one of the crew members whispered to his mate.

Aogiri laughed. "That she is! Biggest damn Feraligatr on record, I'll bet!"

The man who spoke had the good sense to look embarrassed at being overheard. He then yelped when Leviathan suddenly flashed her teeth at him and took a step backwards.

Aogiri turned to Leviathan and his jovial mood died down. He took note that the expression his partner wore was certainly not a smile. He turned back to the captain, cocking his head slightly as he kept his tone light. "So, what was it you lot were transporting anyway?"

"Foreign imports," the captain said, rather quickly. "Spices, mostly."

Aogiri let out a thoughtful hum as he glanced back at Leviathan. "You don't say. Awful lot of trouble for spices, though."

"Yo, Aogiri!" Ushio's voice boomed from down the hallway, the man appearing from the depths of the boat. "There ain't _crap_ left in the friggin' hull. They gutted it like a _fish_ , an-" The large man paused when his eyes fell on Leviathan and he came to a stop in the hallway. "...Yo, Levi, you feelin' okay? Still kinda sick after gettin' shocked?"

Leviathan paused before she let out a rumble in her throat, her eyes drifting to Aogiri before she abruptly turned and started trotting back towards the deck of the boat.

Aogiri flashed Ushio a crooked grin. "Yo, found the crew. Seems they were shipping spices that gang was pretty hot about hocking."

Ushio rubbed the back of his head. "Spices, huh...?"

Aogiri angled his head towards the door. "Seems Levi doesn't care for the smell of them."

"...Izzat so," Ushio said, slowly. He cracked his neck. "Well, I'll go find Matt, then. Don't want him getting sick off no _spices_. He's got a _real_ sensitive nose, y'know." With that, the muscled man turned and moved back in to the depths of the ship.

"Sounds good to me," Aogiri said, smiling. He turned back to the captain, cutting the other man off from following Ushio. "So, those masked jokers say anything to you when they were plundering your ship?"

"...They were talking about torturing us, and then torching my ship," the captain said as his eyes darted between the retreating Ushio and Aogiri. "Not necessarily in that order. They're _psychotic_ , let me tell you. Especially that one in the heels."

"You mean the one with the cattle prods?" Aogiri asked curiously.

 "Naw, the one with the _legs_ ," the captain's mate said, before he made a very emphasized hour-glass gesture in the air. "The one with the cattle prods was just creepy."

Aogiri nodded, knowing exactly who the captain was referring to. "Is that right? What was Legs' shtick? Pliers? Razors? Enemas?"

"Heels, right in the balls," one of the crewman said with a chuckle, before he was immediately silenced by the captain's furious glare.

Aogiri choked back a laugh even as he cringed in sympathy. "Ouch. That'd do it."

The captain let out a derisive snort. "Just because a woman has a nice body, she thinks she can be bitch queen of the world."

Before Aogiri could respond, Leviathan suddenly reappeared in the doorway. More importantly, the Feraligatr wasn't alone. Izumi sauntered in to the room, her arms crossed. She paused briefly, her eyes flickering over to the gawking captain and his crew, before she silently turned her eyes back to Aogiri.

"Perfect timing," Aogiri said wryly. "I was just having a chat with these _gentlemen_ about the ladies of the mask brigade."

Izumi didn't say a word to the captain or his crew, her expression surprisingly fierce. Instead, she lifted her left hand and motioned with her pointer finger in a 'come hither' gesture.

Aogiri dropped all pretense of being jovial and followed Izumi, not bothering to look back at the men he untied. He found his comrades on the deck of the ship, their faces laced with rage as they stood around Shelly. He froze as he saw what was in her faintly trembling hands. She was holding onto a rounded pelt of fur, cream and baby blue with white spots.

It was the skin of a Spheal.

A terrible smile graced Aogiri's lips as he spun on his heel and greeted the captain as the other man reached the doorway. The smile spread to the rest of his crew, though there was no amusement in it – only malice. Even the Pokémon shared the smile, from the toothless Typhoon to the fanged Feraligatr.

* * *

"...The police were quite baffled by the scene, with the victims bound together and suspended from various machinery around the area. Badly beaten and smelling strongly of urine, the men were taken to a nearby hospital for their numerous injuries-"

Matsubusa let out a low growl before he bit in to a piece of toast, his teeth easily ripping in to the crispy bread with the aid of his abnormally sharp canine fangs. He chewed slowly as he glared at the television screen, particularly at the images of the captain and his first mate dangling from the crane - pictures taken by the dock workers who found them before alerting the police. Without his mask, his face was quite visible, with his slicked back red hair with a slight widow's peak and red eyes no longer obstructed from view. He was wearing a red changshan with black trim, quite different from his uniform the night before.

"-the boat wasn't scheduled to be in the area. When questioned, the captain of the vessel insisted that the boat had been hijacked and taken to the dock in question by masked individuals in red and black uniforms - which match the description of the infamous Team Magma. When questioned about the smoldering illegal Pokémon and animal contraband found in the area, the captain denied all responsibility-"

Matsubusa snorted, propping his elbows on the table. "...I suppose I should be thankful that we were able to get most of the cargo, given the circumstances."

"We made off with most of the goods and the ship's logs, though I guess they'll be using those to bring up charges _in addition_ to hunting down who was aiding them in their little escapades. We can wait to see what happens before we decide if we need to _finish the job_ ," Homura said, his back to Matsubusa as he stood in front of the high-tech oven in the large, equally high-tech kitchen. Without his red hood, his short purple hair and gold eyes were quite visible. Looking down at the frying pan in front of him, he paid close attention to the sunny-side up egg he was making. "I have to wonder if those idiots even realized what they were burning, or if they just caught everything on fire in a temper tantrum."

Matsubusa let out a growl of agreement before he grabbed his glass of orange juice, drinking it slowly to wash down his toast as he waited for his personal assistant to finish the rest of his breakfast.

"-in addition, anonymous sources report that the Pokémon Rangers discovered a large cache of similar contraband in their offices this morning, along with several documents that have not been publicly identified. Whether or not it is related remains to be seen, as the Pokémon Rangers are not yet releasing an official statement."

Homura used his spatula to carefully remove the egg from the frying pan, placing it on a plate sitting on the nearby. "Don't fill up on bread."

"Then cook faster," Matsubusa said, his words slightly obscured by food. "Or make less toast."

"I need to give you _something_ to keep your mouth busy," Homura said as he moved to a different skillet, where sausage and bacon slowly simmered. He carefully picked the choice meat off the skillet and put it on the plate before he turned to place the plate on the table in front of the redhead. "You can't _whine_ when you're eating."

Matsubusa shot his personal assistant a scowl even as he accepted the plate, before reaching for his knife and fork. He then turned his eyes back to the television screen, his scowl deepening as he used the eating utensils to cut in to his egg. "...We need to think of how to punish those drunken idiots. We can't let this go unanswered."

"We have better things to worry about than them," Homura said as he stood at the sink, washing the frying pan with a thick wash cloth. "We more or less succeeded at the mission."

" _In spite of_ their interference!" Matsubusa snarled as he slammed his fists on the table while still holding the utensils. "What if Courtney and Kagari hadn't stopped them? What then!? How much humiliation am I supposed to accept before it becomes _un_ acceptable!?"

Homura turned his head to look at Matsubusa, arching an eyebrow. "Are you upset that they interfered with our mission or because they embarrassed you?"

"Both!" Matsubusa said as he stabbed at one of the sausages with his fork, then took a ferocious bite out of it, digging his canine fang in to the meat. "Does it matter!?"

"...No, I suppose it doesn't," Homura said, with a heavy sigh, before he resumed cleaning the cooking utensils. "I certainly can't wait for you to make things even more complicated than they already are."

Matsubusa flashed Homura a smirk. "Oh, I assure you... once I'm done with those _drunks_ , they'll think twice about messing with Team Magma ever again."


	3. Chapter 3

The harbor seemed peaceful through Aogiri's binoculars as he stood on the bow of his ship. His eyes scanned the warehouses along the docks, focusing on one in particular with a large B painted on the front. "So that's the place, huh?"

Izumi nodded, her hands on her hips. "Shelly saw them go in. They've been in there for about fifteen minutes now."

Ushio squinted, using his hand to shield his eyes as if it would somehow help him. "So what's the big deal? They gonna torch it or what?"

"Who knows?" Izumi shrugged her shoulders. "I still don't have them figured out yet. How do you go from arson to kidnapping poachers? But given what I've managed to find out, something's going to happen." She shook her head with a sigh. "You won't _believe_ how hard it was to crack their communications system. It's like something you'd expect from the _government_."

Aogiri let out a thoughtful hum as he lowered the binoculars before slowly smiling. "Well then, what say we plan a little surprise for them when they come out?"

A murmur of agreement came from the admins, and the assembled crew prepared to wait for their prey to leave the building. Seconds ticked by, which became minutes, which slowly but surely turned in to a full _hour_. As Team Aqua waited, the warehouse remained silent - and not on fire.

"...The hell are they doing?" Ushio murmured, his cheek twitching as he sat hunched on the floor of the deck, his hands gripping his knees. "Did they get _lost_ or somethin'!? It's only one big damn room, ain't it?!"

Aogiri tapped his fingers impatiently against the bow of the ship. It grew increasingly difficult to remain still and patient the longer they had to wait. Finally he straightened up and slapped the wood. "Okay, screw waiting. We're going in and surprising them."

Ushio quickly leapt to his feet. "Hell yeah! If they won't come get their ass kickin', we'll bring it to 'em!"

Izumi hissed through her teeth. "Keep it quiet or they'll hear us!"

Ushio paused, then rubbed the back of his head. "Er... right."

Shelly climbed down from her perch in the crow's nest, frowning at her comrades. "Something's fishy about all this."

"Yeah, either they're up to something big or they gave us the slip," Aogiri growled as he stormed towards the gangplank.

Izumi turned to look at the others. "Should someone stay out here and watch?"

"I'll do it," Matt said, raising his hand. "I'm not going to be good at nailing them hard and fast like the rest of you, anyway."

"I'll nail 'em _twice_ as hard, so don't worry 'bout it!" Ushio said as he grinned, slamming his fist in to his palm before he hurried down the gangplank after Aogiri.

Izumi turned to Shelly and nodded before she too followed after the two boys.

Matt cupped his hands around his mouth, grinning. "Make sure to plant your boot up one of their asses for me too!"

Shelly frowned, glancing over at Matt before watching the others leave. After a moment she sighed and shook her head, muttering under her breath. "I've got a bad feeling about which asses are about to be nailed."

As Team Aqua entered the warehouse, they were immediately greeted by darkness - and _stillness_. There was no sign of life, Team Magma or otherwise, to even suggest that there was anyone else but them in the facility.

"...If you hadn't seen them sneak in, I'd swear no one was here," Izumi murmured, keeping her voice quiet as she leaned closer to Shelly. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for any sign of their target and finding nothing.

Shelly's eyes narrowed as she scanned the dim warehouse for signs of movement. "That bad feeling I have?" she muttered. "Getting worse over here."

Ushio squinted before he let out a grunt. "Can't see a damned thing."

Aogiri glanced back to his crew, though it was hard to see them in the darkness. He briefly wished he had brought a flashlight, but it would no doubt alert Team Magma to their presence – assuming the red-hooded criminals were even still around.  "Keep alert," he whispered as he inched his way forward. "Can't let 'em get the drop on us."

" _Ready_!"

A voice boomed in the darkness, causing Team Aqua to freeze in their tracks. At that moment, numerous spotlights turned on, dousing them in blinding light.

Aogiri jerked and whirled around. "It's a setup!"

" _Aim_!" the voice barked out again, seemingly echoing from everywhere and nowhere. As it spoke, the sounds of clicking echoed as well.

"I-I can't see a damn thing!" Ushio barked, squinting his eyes as he stepped back.

" _Fire_!"

In that instant, shots were fired from all around, seconds before the leader of Team Aqua and his admins were assaulted by a flurry of ammunition - _paintball_ ammunition. Small, hard little balls of paint slammed viciously in to their bodies from various angles, exploding upon impact and coating them in thick red paint.

The lights fully cut on as the spotlights turned off, allowing Team Aqua to see what was happening now that the element of surprise was no longer necessary. The light revealed dozens of Team Magma grunts with paintball guns in hand, unloading their entire stock of ammunition on their opponents. Scattered among them were four masked individuals, three of the four they had already met plus the man from the helicopter - the woman with the yellow smiling mask was noticeably absent. Each of the present admins also had a paint gun in hand and all but their leader was currently unloading their shots on the pirates with great gusto.

Team Aqua shrieked in alarm and pain from the paintballs pelted them from every angle while they scrambled to find some cover. Aogiri was clearly the primary target, but Izumi, Shelly, and Ushio were soon dyed in almost as much red as he was.

"B-bastards, what are you-!?" Izumi demanded before she yelped when a pellet popped her right on her rump, causing her to clutch it as she turned about.

The man in the grey masked jumped as Izumi whipped around to glare right at him and his gun. He stood still and stared at her, suddenly unable to fully aim his gun at the furious woman in front of him. The woman in the white mask suddenly changed the direction of her gun to shoot Izumi in the stomach, then turned to her comrade, who could feel her gaze boring into him through the eyes of her mask. He hesitated before he promptly resumed firing upon Izumi.

Shelly growled as the masked man she recognized as owning the Talonflame seemed to focus on her, hitting her in the neck. "What the hell, bird boy!"

While Shelly couldn't see it, she could definitely _feel_ the smirk on the masked man's face as he responded with a shot directly between her breasts.

Shelly yelped at the impact before her cheek twitched. "Oh, you're _begging_ for it now!"

"O-ow! Ow! _Dammit, that hurts_!" Ushio bellowed, as most of the paintballs aimed for his body, as it was quite the enormous target due to its size.

The man with the red mask twirled the paintball gun on his finger lazily before he finally gripped it tightly in his right hand. Shifting his arm over, he fired three shots - all three _directly_ at Aogiri's groin.

Aogiri's eyes bugged out as his breath came out as a pained whimper. The leader of Team Aqua collapsed to his knees, hunched over from the intense agony. He could do little more than twitch, and Ushio couldn't help but cringe in sympathy at the sight.

"In the _future_ ," the redhead said, drawing his words out slowly as he lifted the gun up, pointing it at the ceiling. "I advise you to think twice before meddling in our affairs. You're _completely_ out of your league." He then turned to blow at his gun as if it were a real revolver, the sound muffled by his mask.

Aogiri shuddered, his voice high-pitched and breathless. "Y-you... sonnova..."

The redhead chuckled as the firing finally stopped, the grunts and admins lowering their weapons. He turned and began to walk back in to the depths of the warehouse, his chuckling turning in to full-blown laughter. His minions regarded the paint-plastered Team Aqua a moment before they too followed, abandoning their victims to their painful plight.

Shelly growled as she wiped paint from her sore cheek. She turned to Aogiri with a sour expression. "I'd say 'I told you so,' but I think three paintballs to the dick did that for me."

Aogiri's answer was only a snarl as he kept his glare fixed in the direction where the redhead had gone, visions of vengeance dancing in his mind.

It took Team Aqua a little time to recover before they returned to their ship, each member quietly grumbling over their welts and humiliation. It only made them more irritable when they found Matt lying down on his stomach in the middle of the deck.

At the sight, Shelly charged forward, snarling a curse under her breath.

"Matt!" Izumi cried out before she hurried over to his side. "Is he alright?!"

Matt groaned as he let Shelly help him roll over. "I'm fine. I just figured it'd be best to lie here until the rest of you got back..."

Shelly squinted in the dim light and glared at the paint covered welts decorating Matt's stomach. Whoever shot him was good enough to draw a smiley face with just paintball pellets. "I knew one of them was missing."

"Yeah, Smiley," Matt grumbled. "She cut the lights and my belt somehow so I couldn't get my Pokémon out while she kept shooting me from the dark."

Izumi scowled at the paint on Matt's stomach. "...Bastards really left their mark."

"Damn," Aogiri snarled as he looked around at their rivals' handiwork. "Ushio, get the lights back on. Izumi, watch his back."

Izumi nodded before she turned to Ushio, who also tilted his head in acknowledgement. The two hurried off to carry out Aogiri's orders, despite the protests of their stiff, bruising bodies.

"You'll live," Shelly muttered before rising to her feet. "But those assholes are _dead_!"

Aogiri reached out to help Matt to his feet. The leader of Team Aqua gave his admins a grim smile. "Nope. When we get through with them, they're gonna _wish_ we just killed them." His eyes took on a dangerous glint. "Next time, we hit them where it _really_ hurts."

"I call dibs on Bird Boy," Shelly said as the lights came back on.

Matt rubbed his stomach. "I call Smiley."

"I call Puffball," Izumi said as she reappeared back on deck, crossing her arms.

"Nooo surprise there," Ushio growled, following after the curvy woman. "That leaves me with Legs."

Aogiri's smile wicked smile widened. "And Masky is all _mine."_

* * *

The van Team Magma used for this particular mission was spacious inside, filled to the brim with electronics to the point that there was no room for seats, forcing the passengers to stand or sit in the empty space in between. On the outside, the van was nondescript, a little beat up, and not out of place among other vehicles in the warehouse district.

Homura stood by the door, his hood down and black mask off to reveal his face. His arms were crossed as he watched both the computer screens and the woman with short, fluffy lavender hair and matching lavender eyes who sat in front of them – Courtney, whose yellow mask was on the floor next to her as she sat with her keyboard in her lap. "...So you're _absolutely certain_ that the security system has been deactivated."

"Homura, darling, you keep asking that," Kagari said as she leaned against the side of the van by the door, her arms crossed so that she rested her breasts over top them. Her hood and white mask were similarly removed, at least for the moment. She had shoulder length, sleek black hair and emerald-colored eyes, which she turned to regard the purple haired man. "Please calm down."

"We have to be careful," Homura grunted, his eyes glued to the screen. "We'll be doing this solo, we can't afford any mistakes."

"Matsubusa will be _fine_ ," Kagari said, with a smile as she glanced over to where their leader sat between the generator and a box of extra supplies. "Which we _all_ know is why you're so _antsy_."

Matsubusa arched his eyebrow as he regarded Kagari, then Homura. His red mask was in his lap, waiting to be donned at the start of the mission. "...Honestly, Homura. This is hardly a dangerous mission. At _most_ , we might have to deal with a few _alarms_."

Homura responded with a grunt.

"We've already been over the details at least half a dozen times," Tabitha said with a sigh while rolling his gray eyes. He tapped his gray mask against his meaty hip impatiently. He was a large man with fair skin and short black hair that always had a perpetual cowlick no matter how hard he tried to get rid of it. "Everything is pretty much straightforward."

"The same could have been said for the _last few_ missions," Homura said, his voice tense.

Matsubusa snorted and made a great show of rolling his eyes. "If you're referring to those _drunks_ , I think we've sent them a _perfectly clear_ message. They'll return to drinking cheap ale and puking in alleys, and out of our way."

"We haven't seen them in _weeks_ ," Tabitha said. "I think we hammered the message home into their thick skulls."

"We'll be careful, naturally," Kagari said, her voice soothing. "But I think it's safe to say that there's no point in going over this anymore. We've prepared as much as we could."

Homura grunted again, eying the other admins before turning his attention back to Courtney. "...Well, since everyone else has made a point of telling me that I'm _overreacting_ , you might as well get in on it too."

Courtney turned around to look at Homura, her expression devoid of any real emotion. "Do you want to go home?"

Homura paused at that, blinking. "What?"

"Do you want to scrap the mission?" Courtney asked as she vaguely gestured towards the monitors. "This is the last opportunity to back out."

Homura was quiet for a moment. He glanced at the other admins and their illustrious leader, noting their exasperated expressions. He made another noise in the back of his throat as he looked away. "...No, I suppose not. There isn't any _apparent_ risk, and the pay off would be big."

Courtney turned back to the monitor. "We'll be ready to begin in five. Masks on."

Tabitha slid on his mask and playfully bumped his fist into Homura's upper arm. "It'll be _fine._ Matsubusa's plans are _flawless_."

Homura glanced at Tabitha and offered him half a smile before he put his black mask on and pulled up his hood. "Well, as flawless as you can _expect_."

Matsubusa's cheek twitched as he put his own mask on. "And just what does _that_ -"

"Tech Master, synchronize masks." Kagari said as she adjusted her mask and pulled up her hood.

Courtney slid her mask on before typing on one of the consoles. "Masks synchronized. Mission start in three... two... one."

Matsubusa shot Homura a scowl, hidden by his mask. As the countdown reached its final digit, the communicators built in to the masks let out a chime in to the ears of the admins and their leader. Signaling that they were now connected, the redhead nodded in approval. "Move out."

Within moments, the three admins and their leader had left the van and made their way in to the empty facility, leaving Courtney alone with the van. Moving with the speed and stealth of stalking predators, Tabitha and Kagari slipped in through the front while Homura and Matsubusa scaled to the rooftops from an adjacent building and climbed in to the second floor.

Courtney turned back to the monitors once her comrades left and went through the process of checking the security cameras. A pop and fizzle in her ear made her flinch instinctively before every computer shut itself all at once. She stared ahead of her in the dark as she processed the power failure before she heard a frantic knock on the van door. Without hesitation, she picked up her cattle prod and slid the side of the van door open...

...Only to get a face-full of custard.

Matt laughed hysterically in the pied admin's face and immediately began running after spotting her cattle prod. "Let's see you smile through _that_ , clown!"

Courtney stood there staring at the clouded screens inside her mask. Even if she was stupid enough to remove it and expose her face, that didn't guarantee that she would be able to catch the culprit. Not to mention, she had more pressing matters on hand.

Despite knowing that she needed to immediately fix the computers in the van and warn her comrades, she scooped some custard and flaky piecrust onto her finger and got a powerful taste of vanilla and cream. "Good pie."

* * *

Within the first floor of the factory, Kagari and Tabitha were oblivious to Courtney's pie plight. Instead, they carefully maneuvered through the darkened facility as they searched for their intended target. Their masks allowed them to see even in the darkness, thanks to the infrared built in to the eyes, and the two admins combed the area as they ventured deeper in to the depths.

Kagari crossed her arms as she came to a stop, slowly drifting her eyes about the room. "Nothing so far... shall we try the offices?"

Tabitha scanned the area. "There's a lot of rooms and not much time. We better split up."

Kagari frowned. While they were supposed to stick together for security reasons, she had to agree with Tabitha's assessment. They had wasted quite a bit of time as it was thanks to Homura's concerns over the preparations. "...Agreed. Let's hurry."

Tabitha nodded and moved quickly to one of the offices, not wasting another second on indecision. Kagari was left alone, though she wasn't concerned. With their masks, they were never truly apart.

Kagari slid in to the first office, keeping the door slightly cracked as she maneuvered past the furniture in to the center of the room. She glanced over to a computer in the corner, noting its presence before she turned to examine the rest of the room. Finding nothing else of interest, the Magma admin turned to face the computer once more and proceeded towards the desk.

The curvaceous woman wasn't able to take more than a few steps before the door to the office suddenly whipped open. Kagari paused and looked up sharply, just in time to see Ushio appear in to the room with what appeared to be a plastic water gun.

The tanned man flashed her a toothy grin before he aimed the toy gun at Kagari and proceeded to unload its contents on her, a stream of liquid firing at her before she could properly react.

Kagari jerked back, then blinked and glanced down at the substance. It definitely wasn't water, though its identity wasn't immediately apparent beyond that. However, as the slick goop coated her clothes and her chest, leaving it glistening, the female admin quickly realized what it was - _baby oil._

Kagari's expression deadpanned, not that Ushio could see her face. Instead, she made her opinion of his actions known through her posture, her arms crossing under her chest as she lifted her gaze to _stare_ at him wordlessly.

Ushio's grin faltered as he stared at the woman in high heels, before it faded away in to a slight scowl. "...So, what? No reaction at all?"

Kagari stared at Ushio, her judgment palpable as she stayed perfectly still, baby oil dripping down the length of her body and pooling on the floor.

Ushio's scowl deepened as he stared at Kagari, then moved forward to poke her with the plastic gun's tip. The motion was slight, just enough to shift the Magma admin. By itself, it wasn't been much of a poke, just enough to make Kagari twitch. However, it was more than enough for the admin's high heels to touch the baby oil. The slight disruption in balance was all the heels needed to completely lose their traction, sending Kagari to the ground in a heap.

Kagari barely managed to keep from crying out, reaching down to catch herself as her rump hit the ground with a _splat_. She paused before she continued to remain perfectly still, knowing full well that any further motion wouldn't do her any good. Slowly, Kagari lifted her head to continue her _glare_ at the Team Aqua admin, who stood waiting for her reaction.

Ushio stared down at Kagari before he let out a low grunt. "Yer a real killjoy, y'know that?"

Kagari answered wordlessly with her continued stare.

Ushio let out another snort before he grumbled, turning to walk out the door. He slammed the door behind him, leaving Kagari still sitting wordlessly on the floor as her eyes cast judgment upon him through her mask.

* * *

In a nearby office, Tabitha heard the loud bang of Ushio slamming the door, though he didn't know precisely what the sound meant. He barely had an opportunity to debate leaving to find Kagari when he turned around and found himself walking face first in to a splash of white goop.

The slimy substance covered his face, the front of his outfit, and even his hair, clinging to everything it touched. While the mask prevented the substance from getting in his mouth, it didn't stop the scent from wafting in from around the edges - _marshmallows_.

It took Tabitha a moment to fully process the ludicrousness of it all. He had been ambushed. It wasn't the first time someone had gotten the drop on him, but at least they had the decency to aim guns, Pokémon, or _something_ potentially lethal at him. This was a first - or at least not since his days in primary school - that an attacker used food as a weapon against him, which left him utterly stupefied.

But only for a moment, as Tabitha realized the attack had come from _somewhere_ and, childish or not, he was still technically in a dangerous situation. He scrubbed at his face to clear the lenses so that the optics in his mask would allow him to see so he could seek out the culprit responsible for such a childish, juvenile prank and...

...Found the most gorgeous woman Tabitha had ever seen in his life. He might have been thrilled by that in any other circumstance, if too gob-smacked and shy to even consider talking to her in anything more than stammering half-sentences. Unfortunately, in this place, after receiving such a _random_ assault as _marshmallow fluff_ , seeing her strike a pose with a white object that looked suspiciously _gun-shaped_  and - worst of all - recognizing her all too well from the first time he had seen her weeks ago after he had been ordered to take fire on _her_ with paint balls.

It all amounted to leaving Tabitha completely, utterly at a loss, except to stare dumbly at Izumi.

If Izumi had been aware of the expression Tabitha wore under his mask at that very moment, she might've felt cheated at being deprived of seeing something so utterly comical. Fortunately, his gob-smacked body language and the sputtering, half-hearted attempt at forming sounds that hoped to become words someday gave her quite a rush of pleasure as she snapped his picture using her Pokédex and preserved this moment as a cherished memory forever.

Izumi pocketed her Pokédex as she lifted the gun-like object in her other hand and pulled the trigger. Tabitha flinched instinctively at the sound as the gun fired its ammunition at him - a puffy white marshmallow that bounced off his forehead before landing uselessly on the ground, amid the marshmallow fluff already pooling there.

The Aqua admin giggled before she blew the baffled man a kiss with her newly free hand, pressing to fingers to her lips before extending them out and blowing towards the Magma admin. She then turned and walked out the door, sashaying her hips as she went before she closed the door firmly with a _bang._

* * *

Matsubusa paused as he heard a faint banging noise in the distance, on the floor below. He glanced down at the floor and waited, listening for more sounds. When none came, he let out a soft grunt and dismissed the sounds entirely. It seemed Homura's nerves were starting to get to him, making him jump at every creak or rumble the old facility gave.

The redhead paused at that thought and glanced over to Homura, who was busy rooting through the filing cabinets, tossing aside useless bits of paper as he searched for the real prize. Seeing his assistant focusing on his work, Matsubusa in turn resumed his own efforts, carefully removing the hard drives from the computers and setting them in his shock-proof bag.

The two worked in silence for several moments before Tabitha's voice suddenly pierced the air, his voice emanating from their masks.

"Number Two, we need your help down here," Tabitha said, his voice full of static and faint. "We've got a locked door, we can't seem to get it open."

Homura blinked at that, then frowned. The quality of the transmission was surprisingly bad, but his words even more so. "A locked door?"

"It's not electronic, so Tech Master can't get it open," Tabitha's voice echoed in their ears, still fluctuating. It had a strange quality to it, not that either of the two could put their fingers on why.  "We need some extra muscle."

Homura furrowed his brow before he glanced over to Matsubusa. "...Right. We're on our way."

Matsubusa arched his eyebrow. "You don't need _me_ for that." He doubted he had the muscles to be of any help, not that he was about to say such a thing. "You go, I'll finish up here."

Homura scowled. "Absolutely _not_ -"

"We don't have _time_ for this," Matsubusa said, with a weary sigh. "Thanks to you, I might add."

"Leader's right," Tabitha chimed in, his voice fuzzy. "We have to hurry."

Homura scowled, clenching his jaw. He didn't like the implication that he had wasted everyone's time with his misgivings any more than he liked the idea of leaving their leader alone. There had been a _reason_ that they separated into sets of two, after all. Still, it seemed that no one was really willing to listen to his arguments at the moment. "...Fine. But if you hear _anything_ , you radio me immediately. Understood?"

"Yes, yes, understood," Matsubusa said, with a long-suffering sigh. "Now hurry up."

Homura grunted before he turned on his heels, closing the filing cabinet roughly as he exited the office through the ajar door. He barely resisted the urge to slam the door, not wanting to make the noise even if he was sure it'd make him feel a little better.

Homura stormed down the walkway, making his way towards the stairs so that he could regroup with the other admins. His footsteps echoed loudly in the darkness, clanging against each metal panel beneath his feet.

As Homura put his weight on the metal floor directly in front of the stairs, he felt it quiver under his feet. He barely had a moment to register that something was wrong before the floor collapsed beneath him, shattering in a way that metal had no business doing. The masked man let out a cry as he plummeted downwards, towards the first floor.

Thankfully, rather than breaking his back on the hard surface, he instead found himself falling in to a large crate filled with soft, gooey materials. As Homura sunk deep in to the mess, he quickly realized it was a concoction of feathers and glue that broke his fall, and in turn coated every inch of his body. His mask protected the mess from getting on his face, but it didn't stop Homura from sputtering a confused curse as he tried to get some leverage in the disgusting mess.

"Oops, looks like someone fell out of the nest."

The sweet, almost saccharine voice drew his attention above him where he saw Shelly's smiling face as she leaned over the hole. When she noticed him turning up in her direction, her smile grew wider still. "Don't worry, bird boy. I'm sure all those new feathers of yours will help you fly your way out of that mess in no time."

"... _You_!" Homura barked out the word, not needing to say anything more as his tone was both furious and accusing.

Shelly giggled behind her hand. "Oh how sweet, you remember me. You know, I'd love to stay and chat, but me and my mates are a little busy right now." She blew Homura a kiss and winked at him. "Ciao for now, little birdy." With that she turned on her heel and sauntered away, humming a merry tune long after she disappeared from sight.

Homura growled as he clawed his way over to the side of the crate, grabbing it as he tried to hoist himself up. While thoughts of pursuing the woman briefly entered his mind, he discarded them instantly. Even thoughts of his concerns being vindicated were only entertained for a moment before being shoved to the side. He didn't have time for such nonsense, he had to get back to Matsubusa.

There was no telling what plans the Aqua admins and their boss had for the Leader of Team Magma.

* * *

As Aogiri slipped in to the office room, he was immediately greeted by the sight of Matsubusa with his back to the door. The masked redhead had finished looting the computer and was busy focused on the remaining files, bent over slightly as he rooted through the filing cabinet.

It was almost as if the leader of Team Magma was _presenting_ himself to his opponent,  all ready and waiting for his punishment.

Aogiri couldn't believe his luck and silently snapped a picture, preserving the moment before he slunk in closer, ready to put his plan into action at last.

Matsubusa didn't hear Aogiri sneak up on him and instead focused on going through the paperwork in front of him. He had no warning at all before he suddenly felt a pair of strong hands lunge under his changshan to grab his pants, _yanking_ them roughly downwards. The redhead let out a startled shriek as cool air hit his legs and he dropped the paperwork as his hands rushed down to cover his front. "Kya-!?"

Aogiri's laughter was like a jolt of cold along Matsubusa's spine that hit harder than the air. Furious, the leader of Team Magma whirled around to see the pirate taking pictures of his undignified state.

Matsubusa gawked at the pirate, stunned. "Y-you-!?"

"Miss me, Masky?" Aogiri asked with a bright grin and waggling eyebrows. "Nice briefs. Silk, right?"

The redhead let out a startled yelp before he lunged, trying to snatch Aogiri's Pokédex, his other hand, struggling to pull his pants up. "You _bastard_ -!"

Aogiri held his Pokédex tauntingly out of reach and took the opportunity to slap Matsubusa's rear end. "Your backside is wide open!"

A resounding _smack_ issued in the air as Matsubusa stood up sharply with a startled squeak. His face turned bright red, as the sting of the strike lingered even after the pirate's hand retreated. He let out a strangled noise, his anger and shock mingling so that his words came out incoherent.

Aogiri laughed and danced far out of arm's reach of the rival boss before giving Matsubusa a salute with his Pokédex. "Thanks for the new wallpaper, Masky! Every time I look at it, I'll think of those fine silk briefs of yours."

Matsubusa let out another shriek, but this time he managed to get an actual word out. " _Dante_!"

In a burst of light, his red and black Houndoom appeared, snarling flames and growling with sharp teeth. His body was tense, ready for orders, but the sight of Aogiri retreating was enough to tell him what to do. He barked and immediately gave chase after his fleeing prey.

Aogiri didn't bother glancing back as he tossed a Pokéball of his own into the air. "Time to tell that hot dog to cool it, Levi!"

Leviathan appeared with a burst of light, the metal flooring beneath her creaking in complaint at the sudden weight. The Feraligatr paid it no mind, her eyes instead focused on the Houndoom. She took a deep breath before she spat out a powerful burst of water directly at the canine.

Dante howled as he was sent tumbling backward in a gusher of water that sent him crashing into Matsubusa.

Matsubusa cried out in alarm as he went tumbling, unable to maintain his balance. He landed roughly on the floor, his pants still down with his Pokémon on top of him. He fumbled to try and right himself, even as he quaked with rage. "B-bastard!" His voice was high, squeaking with embarrassment.

Aogiri's laughter echoed through the air as he took another picture. He gave a jaunty wave as he recalled Leviathan to her Pokéball. "The wet look really suits you, Masky!" He turned and slapped his butt in the other man's direction before he resumed his retreat.

Matsubusa quivered with helpless rage, unable to do much more than let out a scream of frustration and anger after the retreating leader of Team Aqua.


	4. Chapter 4

"-The string of attacks continue with this latest incident, as yet another corporation suddenly finds itself at the center of an unexpected firestorm after their facilities were raided and their records turned over to law enforcement. The current business under the spotlight is on the Yadonburi Company, one of the few government registered facilities for growing, harvesting, and processing Slowpoke tails, a delicacy in many parts of the world," a male news anchor with neatly trimmed black hair said as he sat in front of a large crescent shaped desk that took up most of the set, his eyes slightly lowered to the paperwork in his hands. "While the entire industry is often targeted by Pokémon rights activists and is heavily restricted and monitored by the Pokémon League to ensure the health and happiness of the Slowpokes involved, this is the first time that the Yadonburi Company itself has fallen under scrutiny."

"While the Pokémon League is withholding comment pending the investigation, an anonymous source reports that there are numerous allegations of abuse and unsanitary living conditions for the Slowpoke, and there is simultaneously an investigation in to how this situation went unnoticed by inspectors," a female news anchor continued the report, her fingers laced together as she had her hands on the counter in front of her. A woman with stark red hair and sharp green eyes, she had a more intense expression than her co-anchor.  "Amid the current situation, Inspector Seiyo Yuto has officially announced her resignation, effective immediately. Inspector Yuto is a long-time veteran of the Pokémon League's investigative task force as well as an outspoken supporter of the Slowpoke tail industry. Her representatives insist that her resignation has nothing to do with the current situation and instead was a decision that has been in the making for quite some time."

A still image of a number of people bound together with their eyes blocked by black rectangles appeared on the screen. The most prominent thing on display was a spray painted mark of a familiar stylized A on each man's chest and on the walls of what looked to be a thoroughly trashed office building. The male anchor's expression remained unchanged, pleasantly smiling. "Numerous photographs have been circulating online by an unknown source, claiming to be parts of the Yadonburi Company that the executives, quote, 'didn't want the public to see'. Included in these pictures were high ranking members of the Yadonburi Company with an unknown symbol written in blue spray paint that was found along with unspecified documents that the police have yet to disclose to the public."

"Though experts are reluctant to rule out the involvement of Team Magma, all signs seem to point towards a _new_ Team being responsible for these acts. This only introduces more questions to the situation," the female news anchor said, with a slight shake of her head. "Who is this new Team and what is their relation to Team Magma? Are they an offshoot, or perhaps a new _rival_ Team that seeks to _replace_ -"

 A chair flew through the air, crashing in to the television and shattering its screen in a splash of sparks and glass. Quivering with rage, Matsubusa glared at the ruined television before he slammed both of his hands on the table and let out an incoherent shriek. His red changshan fluttered about him, as if it were an extension of his rage.

Courtney watched the scene impassively in spite of the noise and violence. She wasn't wearing the uniform of Team Magma, instead sporting a pair of Lucario pajamas, complete with an eared hoodie to cover her head. "Permission to requisition a new television."

"Granted," Kagari said, with a heavy sigh. She had also exchanged her uniform for a different outfit, though it was a far more work-appropriate white dress suit.

Courtney tapped her Pokédex's screen with her stylus, which was disguised as a Lucario spike on her current pair of warm and fuzzy pajamas. The sound blended in with the tapping of Tabitha's hand as he sat at the large board room table beside her, quietly grumbling to himself as he glared down at a bunch of papers that were supposed to be important, but he couldn't be bothered to remember why at the moment. Like Kagari, he wore a suit – charcoal gray to her white.

Homura sat in his chair, glaring down at the table as he folded his hands together. Since the incident, he had refused to say much of anything to anyone, instead simply sulking in furious silence. Yet even in his sulk, he still bothered to dress in his work clothes – a black suit similar to Tabitha's gray.

Matsubusa slammed his hands on the table again, finally managing to find his voice among his anger. "They're not a _team_! They're a band of _thugs_ screwing around and sticking their noses in _our business_! They don't even _care_ about the Slowpokes! They did it specifically to _spite us_!"

"I'm sure the Slowpokes don't care who saves them, so long as-," Kagari began, then paused as Matsubusa slammed his hands on the table again.

"Those _hooligans_ could have just as easily harvested the lot of them and left their _corpses_ for the police!" Matsubusa snarled as he turned his anger towards Kagari, who coolly met him with her calm gaze. "The only reason they didn't was so they could create the _illusion_ that they were showing us up!"

"They beat up the poachers," Courtney said.

 "Because they couldn't beat _us_ up!" Matsubusa retorted. "Which they _tried_ to do, before you stopped them!"

Courtney looked at Matsubusa in silence for a long moment before her eyes slid over to meet Kagari's knowing gaze.

Matsubusa panted slightly, winded from his display of temper. He dug his nails in to the table as he quivered, then slammed his hands on it again. "They're not going to get away with this!"

Courtney looked around at her fellow admins before turning back to Matsubusa. "Should I reschedule all of today's meetings?"

Matsubusa turned to stare at Courtney. "...Oh, no. We're having this meeting. This meeting is _happening_."

Courtney cocked her head slightly. "I'm talking about the business meetings, not the pranksters."

"This _is_ business!" Matsubusa snapped. "The _business_ is paying those fools back _a hundredfold_ for what they've done!"

Courtney stared impassively at Matsubusa before she turned her attention back to her Pokédex and started work on rescheduling.

Matsubusa seemed to ignore the lukewarm reaction he got from Courtney, clenching his fists. "When we're done with that bearded buffoon, he'll regret ever molesting me!"

Silence hung over the room as the admins all stopped and turned to stare at Matsubusa. The redhead hesitated, realizing he had admitted to Aogiri's actions out loud. Matsubusa's eyes widened before his face burned bright red, mortification joining the deeply rooted anger on his face.

Homura stared at the leader of Team Magma, his sulkiness momentarily forgotten as Matsubusa's words filtered in. He completely forgot his anger over being ignored _despite being correct in his misgivings_ and quickly abandoned the silent treatment he had been giving the rest of the team, standing up sharply. "He did _what_ -!?"

" _Nevermind that_!" Matsubusa snapped, face still red. "They're going to pay, that's all that matters!"

Tabitha outright gawked at Matsubusa. "He _molested_ you? And you didn't _say_ anything?!"

"Shut up, shut up, _shut up_!" Matsubusa shrieked. "Don't focus on that and ignore everything else I said!"

Homura stared at Matsubusa before he turned his head to look at Dante, their leader's Houndoom, for confirmation. Dante bristled and let out a snort of flames as he bared his fangs, growling lowly.

Courtney tilted her head. "Do you want to use my cattle prods on his penis?"

Matsubusa opened his mouth before he whirled to stare at Courtney, his blush deepening even further. "H-h-his w- _what_ -!?" His voice hitched, raising in volume.

"His penis," Courtney said as she pointed towards the floor. "Send ten thousand volts of electricity through a penis and he'll have a hard time molesting anyone ever again."

"I-I-I-s-stop saying pe- _that word_!" Matsubusa demanded, his voice cracking.

Courtney tapped her chin. "I could turn the safeties off if that isn't enough volts."

Homura slammed his hands on the table, similar to how Matsubusa had done it. "It's clear who our next target should be. Courtney, find out everything you can on this bastard and his 'team'. Sightings, locations, backgrounds, everything!"

"My, my," Kagari said as she tapped her finger on her arm. Her expression was very dark, even with her smile. "It looks like the mighty beast has awoken... not that I blame him."

Courtney hummed quietly. "I could get some hedge clippers too."

"S-s-stop talking about it!" Matsubusa demanded, his blush spreading down to his body. All it did was serve to remind him of Aogiri's striking his buttocks so harshly, a clear violation of not only his personal space but his private areas as well. The sheer memory of it flooded him with mortification and outrage. "It didn't happen! Forget I said it! that's an _order_!"

Tabitha slammed his hands against the table. "There's no way those bastards will get away with this! Especially not the rapist that attacked you!"

"R-r-r-ra-?!" Matsubusa sputtered as he jerked back, whirling to stare at Tabitha as his jaw dropped. He let out a strangled squeak before he lifted his hands, waving them about. "N-no! No no no no no! We didn't, he... he didn't... we absolutely _didn't_ -!"

Tabitha blinked, his ire interrupted by Matsubusa's obvious mortification. "Wait... but you said he molested you, didn't you?"

"I-I told you to forget that!" Matsubusa protested as he clenched his hands in to fists and shook them. "I'm absolutely not about to tell you how he pulled down my pants and s-spanked-!" He paused and clasped his hands over his mouth, letting out a muffled scream through them.

" _He did what_!?" Homura thundered, his face twisting with rage.

Tabitha stared at Matsubusa for a long moment before collapsing back down into his seat. "Oh thank _Arceus_. I was afraid _we_ got the juvenile pranks while _you_ got something much, much worse."

"How is that not much worse!?" Homura demanded, gesturing to Matsubusa as he glared at Tabitha.

Tabitha cringed back from Homura's anger and held up his hands. "H-hey, easy now. I was terrified the guy, uh... well... uh..." He tapped his fingers together, his cheeks turning bright red. "Wh-when you say something like _molested_ , I tend to picture something pretty... nasty, you know?"

"He won't even strip for the _doctor_ without being coerced in to it, and this barbarian just-" Homura began.

Courtney tilted her head slightly. "Did he put you over his knee and use a paddle on you?"

Matsubusa let out a strangled shriek before he slammed his hands down on the table repeatedly. "Enough, enough, _enough_! This is insubordination! _Insubordination_!"

Courtney stared at Matsubusa intently before raising her eyebrows. "He pantsed you and slapped you on the butt, didn't he."

Matsubusa quivered before he gestured widely with his arm. His temperature only continued to rise with no chance to recover, especially as Courtney reminded him yet again of the pirate's strike against his defenseless area. "If you're not going to assist me in this, I'll do it myself!"

Courtney shared a knowing look with Kagari before focusing back on Matsubusa with a shrug. "It could be worse. He could've taken photos."

Matsubusa jerked, sucking in his breath.

Kagari blinked before she raised her eyebrows. "...Oh _dear_."

Courtney slowly angled her head back. "You can still borrow my cattle prods to shock him in the balls if you want."

Matsubusa quivered before he screamed something incoherent, his words mangled by his strong emotions before he whipped about sharply on the heels of his boots. He stormed over to the door to the meeting room, his foots loudly echoing.

"Wait! Matsu-" Homura began before he flinched as the door slammed shut, punctuating the redhead's departure.

Courtney blinked slowly then took in the irritated looks of her fellow admins. "It could've been worse."

"And _how_ , pray tell, could it have been worse?" Homura asked, crossing his arms.

Courtney looked Homura dead in the eye. "Pokétube."

* * *

The atmosphere of the Soggy Sea-Dog Pub was lively as Team Aqua laughed and drank in celebration at their latest victory while crowded around their usual table.

"I tell you," Aogiri chuckled as he shook his head. "My biggest regret is not getting a picture of that captain's face after Levi sent his Clawitzer flying on that giant waterspout!"

Leviathan grinned as she rested her head on top of Aogiri's own, her tail wagging.

"That would've been an _interesting_ wallpaper," Izumi said, with a sly grin. "But I doubt it'd replace your current one."

Aogiri laughed before downing another mouthful of booze. He let out a satisfied sigh as he wiped his mouth the back of his hand. "True, true. I've looked at it every day for two weeks now, and I'm still not tired of looking at Masky's ass. Always gives me a good laugh."

"And why the hell not? We kicked it _good_!" Ushio said with a deep, bellowing laugh. "Ain't _never_ gonna mess with _us_ again!"

Shelly sighed wistfully. "Too bad those creeps wore masks. The only thing that could make my memory of that night is seeing bird boy's face." She shrugged. "Oh well, I can always pretend it was the same as the first mate's when he got bitch slapped by that Magikarp!"

"I imagine it was _roughly_ the same," Izumi said with a giggle before she sipped on her own drink.

"So how much time do you think they'll do?" Aogiri asked as he tapped his bottle against the table. "I'm opening an official pool right now. Place your bets, folks."

Shelly hummed and leaned back in her seat. "For Wailord hunting? Five years minimum. Maybe ten more probation and at least a hundred hours community service."

"I'd say ten years, all things considered," Izumi said, with a shake of her head. "Given how complex their setup was, they can't claim ignorance and get off light."

Matt scratched his chin as his eyes drifted to the ceiling. "Eh, I'll be optimistic and say twenty."

"I guess that leaves me t' be the pessimist, huh?" Ushio said as he scratched at his beard. "They may just get probation, iffin' they got the right connections."

Shelly stretched her arms behind her head, grinning. "You know, this feels pretty good - going out there, taking down dirt bags and humiliating them before letting the cops clean 'em up. Makes me feel like I'm back in my med training days again." Her smile twisted almost into a frown. "You know, before the whole 'Joy' thing."

Izumi nodded her head as she leaned back in her chair. "It really opens your eyes, doesn't it?"

Matt slowly rotated his mug, watching the foam swirl about in his root beer. "Yeah... it's kinda nice kicking butt and taking down a lot of really nasty people. We should make it a habit."

"Hell yeah! These idiots ain't got no business pulling that crap on _our_ ocean!" Ushio said as he slammed his fist against his chest. "Ya don't spit in the wind, ya don't shit where ya eat, and ya don't piss in the ocean without answering to the _king_! Right, Aogiri!?"

Aogiri's smile broadened and he slammed the bottle down onto the table with a mighty clank. "Hell yeah! I like the sound of that!"

Matt laughed and raised his glass. "I'll drink to that, Your Majesty!"

Shelly stifled a laugh behind her hand and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, like Aogiri needs an even bigger ego."

"Not much you can do about it, except go with the flow," Izumi said with a grin as she lifted her fruity drink up.

Aogiri jumped to his feet as his admins all raised their glasses, thrusting his bottle high into the air. "Yeah! King of the Sea, baby!"

A jingle followed by a loud _bang_ caused Aogiri and his crew to pause, turning their attention to the front door of the pub. They were immediately greeted by the doorway being blocked with the opening of a large black tube, which seemed to be connected to a truck that had backed up right to the doorway. It was the only warning they got before the truck hummed to life, sending a surge of brown sludge pouring in to the bar, aimed directly at the pirates.

Aogiri's eyes bugged out and he barely managed to get out an unintelligible "What the f-" before a wave of brown overtook him, sending him crashing back into Leviathan.

Leviathan managed to stabilize her trainer, keeping him from being swept away by the flood of sewage like the table and the rest of his team. She grimaced as she held firm, the foul liquid slamming in to her as the entire first floor of the bar was covered in the filth, along with Team Aqua and any patrons and staff that weren't quick enough in dashing up to the second floor.

People crowded on the stairs, scurrying up until they were out of reach of the filth, which eventually stopped spewing in through the door. The truck parked outside emptied its entire contents in to the room, generating several feet of foul-smelling sludge.

Izumi slowly peeled herself up off the floor, getting on her hands and knees. She grimaced, her face twisted with disgust as the glop coated her body, clinging to her. "S... shit!"

Shelly unsuccessfully tried not to retch as she grabbed the wall and pulled herself out of the muck. "Literally!"

Matt couldn't stop himself from emptying the contents of his stomach, propping himself up on the bar as he threw up over the back of it.

"What... what the hell...!" Ushio gurgled, quivering as he used a nearby table to pull himself up. "The hell, the hell, the hell, the hell, _the hell_ -!"

Aogiri looked around at the horrific mess, the stench nearly overwhelming him. He glared through the doorway and slowly trudged towards the exit with Leviathan helping keep his footsteps steady.

Instead of through the door, the attack came from above their heads. A familiar voice boomed out, far more smug than it had any right to be. "And here we have five _aquatic idiots_ in their natural habitat - _wallowing_ in _excrement_ and _alcohol_." Aogiri paused and lifted his gaze to see Matsubusa and his admins standing on the second floor, leaning over the railing so they could get a good view of their targets below. Each had a Pokédex in their hands, recording the entire scene as they stood in full disguise.

"Yes, yes, I believe this look suits you _best_ ," Matsubusa said, his smirk more felt than seen due to the mask. "Far better than that ridiculous _posturing_ from before."

Homura stood beside Matsubusa, holding his Pokédex sideways so he could get all the Aqua admins in the shot rather than just Aogiri. "...I suppose you'll have to take your _yearly bath_ a bit early."

Aogiri's expression was grim as his gaze fixed resolutely on Matsubusa. "You couldn't just leave it, could you."

Matsubusa fixated his screen solely on Aogiri's face, capturing every furious crease. "Hmhmhm~!"

"Be careful, dear," Kagari said as she similarly moved her Pokédex about. "You might swallow some, and then you'd be in _real_ trouble."

Aogiri wore a grim smile on his face. "Okay, you don't want the game to end, then let's keep playing, Masky." He pointed a filthy finger up towards Matsubusa. "Prepare that ass of yours - next time it's getting _spanked_!"

Matsubusa jerked at that, faltering slightly. Thankfully, his mask obscured his face so that Aogiri couldn't see his discomfort and mortified blush. "...There won't be a next time, you uncultured _swine_!"

Aogiri's expression grew dark and wicked. "Just keep telling yourself that, Masky."

Matsubusa felt a chill, both at the threat and the pirate's expression, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Thankfully, Homura turned to focus on Aogiri. "Don't write checks your mouth can't cash. You'll find yourself in even deeper trouble than simply _shit_."

Aogiri's gaze never left Matsubusa. "You know, I was ready to let everything drop before, but you've called down the thunder, Masky, so be prepared for the storm coming your way!"

 "...Y-you were only willing to 'let it drop' because you believed you had won!" Matsubusa protested before he pointed down at the leader of Team Aqua. "And I've made it abundantly clear that you - won - _nothing_!"

"My wallpaper of your ass says otherwise," Aogiri said with a vicious grin.

 "Oh, for the love of...," Matt groaned. "Can we _not_ stand around and banter while we're all wadding through _shit_?"

"What's wrong?" Homura asked, with a smirk of his own as he turned to Matt. "That _is_ your natural habitat, isn't it?"

 Matsubusa sputtered before he moved forward, planting his shoe on the railing before he leaned forward. He completely ignored Matt and Homura, focusing exclusively on Aogiri. "And _my_ pictures of you and the rest of your _trash_ wallowing in _filth_ say otherwise!"

"Yeah, yeah," Aogiri said, rolling his eyes. "So you got a trophy now too." He made a sweeping gesture to the side. "But I got mine _first_."

Shelly grumbled and tried not to breathe too deeply as she made her way to the nearest window, as the front door was too blocked to go through. "I'm getting out of this shit and spending the next _month_ in a bath."

"You... you, you, you, you-!" Matsubusa snarled as he leaned forward, putting more weight on the railing as he waved his finger. "It doesn't matter who got it first, it only matters who got it _best_!"

Aogiri let out a dry chuckle. "Right. You've got pictures of _shit_ to gawk at, while I get to leer at your silk drawers all I like."

Matsubusa grabbed the railing as he looked about ready to leap over it. "I'll take that thing and _smash it to pieces_ -!" he seethed. Homura reached out to grab the back of Matsubusa's changshan, keeping him from leaping - or falling - over it.

Aogiri's gaze never left Matsubusa as he made a come-hither gesture. "You want it? Come get it, Masky."

Leviathan crouched beside Aogiri as she let out a low rumble, her tail swaying behind her. She focused her fierce eyes on the leader of Team Magma, daring him to come closer to her trainer.

Matsubusa reached for his Pokéball, only to have his hand intercepted by Kagari. He looked over sharply to the female admin before he barely kept himself from yelping as Homura _yanked_ him back - away from the railing, and Aogiri.

"It's been said before and it bears _repeating_ ," Homura said, his voice hard. "You are _out of your league_."

Tabitha shook his head at Matsubusa struggling and helped his comrades drag their leader away. "Come on, boss, it's time to go."

"Why don't you go home and lick your wounds, hm?" Kagari said as she tilted her head, stepping up to block the Aqua admin's view of Tabitha and Homura forcibly escorting their leader away from the argument. "Preferably _after_ you've had a bath."

"Hey Masky!" Aogiri shouted. "You sure you wanna leave the party so soon? I thought you were going to smash my Pokédex to pieces."

Leviathan snapped her jaws together, with an audible _snap_.

"Oh, and be sure to leave a sizable tip for your waitress, hm~?" Kagari continued, cutting over Aogiri's voice. " _They only got hurt because of you_."

 _That_ comment was enough to wipe the smile of Aogiri's face, and he turned to see Matt and Ushio helping the other patrons of the bar move to the window Shelly had pried open where she and Izumi were helping people vacate the bar. He frowned and shot a nasty glare at Team Magma before moving to join the rest of his crew in helping out in the evacuation.

Izumi glanced up to see the Team Magma admins disappear through one of the open windows on the second floor, leaving behind the mess they had made. She scowled darkly before she turned her attention to Aogiri. "...What now, boss?"

"First, we help out here," Aogiri said, his expression grim. "Then we plot some _payback_."

* * *

If there was one thing every respectable team needed, it was more than one base. While there would always be a main base of operations, it was good to have satellite sites across the land to provide support. Even something as simple as a shack in the woods could serve the purpose of providing temporary shelter and resources before moving on. As such, Magma had _numerous_ bases across Hoenn, ranging from seemingly abandoned warehouses to outfitted caves that provided support for them on their assorted missions.

Team Magma's current destination was one such locations, a base in a coastal cavern built along the rough cliff sides near Hajitsuge Town. A barely visible walkway was carved in to the sides of the cliffs, camouflaged to blend in to the surroundings so that passing ships would have great difficulty seeing it. The pathway hugged the cliff side until it made its way to the small cavern, before connecting to a metal dock and then in to the base proper.

Unfortunately, the locale was one of Matsubusa's _least_ favorite sites. The fact that it was one of their _only_ sites in the region didn't help. It wasn't the precarious pathway they walked, the other admins going ahead of him with no difficulty themselves as Matsubusa clutched at the hidden railing with a vice-like grip as he inched along.

Matsubusa had no problem with heights, he preferred flight to any other manner of transportation. The primary problem was all the damned _water_. Water along the cliff, water around the dock inside the base, water as far as the eye could see - water - water - _water_.

Moving carefully, the redhead inched along as he maintained his constant hold on the railing, refusing to even avert his eyes from the steps in front of him. It was times like this that he found himself wishing against his better judgment that all the water would just _disappear_ , evaporating in to the air. He'd like to think that it would be worth the peace of mind that would come from it, before everyone died a horrible death from the ensuing ecological devastation. At the very least, such thoughts comforted him as he followed his admins at a snail's pace to their base.

Homura reached the dock first and stopped, turning to look back at Matsubusa. He stood out of the way as the other admins walked by him, keeping his attention solely on their leader. He waited as he crossed his arms, watching as Matsubusa made very slow progress along the railing.

Matsubusa could feel Homura's gaze more than see it, particularly since he kept his eyes on the steps. "...Shut up, I'm coming! Don't rush me!"

"I didn't say anything," Homura said.

"You were thinking it!" Matsubusa growled. "I'll... I'll get there when I'm damn good and ready! I don't need you waiting around for me!"

Homura resumed watching Matsubusa in silence, the redhead fuming and grumbling in a desperate attempt to hide his fear from the personal assistant. Homura knew Matsubusa far better than to be fooled by a bunch of smoke. After a few more moments, he let out a sigh before he reached for his belt, grabbing the Pokéball attached to it. With a flick of his wrist, the Pokéball activated, releasing his Talonflame on to the dock. The Talonflame paused and tilted his head, glancing to Homura as he puffed his feathers up. "Blaze, could you please?"

Blaze trilled, understanding immediately what his trainer wanted. He took off like a shot and snatched Matsubusa by the shoulders in his strong talons, flying off with the redhead towards Homura.

Matsubusa barely had a chance to let out a shriek before he was suddenly snatched away. He reached up to grab at the Talonflame's legs as he was pulled away from the cliff side and flown down to Homura, gliding over the terrifying water before being deposited on the dock. Matsubusa trembled before he whirled to glare at his assistant, face red beneath his mask. " _You bastard_ -!"

"You're welcome," Homura said as he reached out to touch the top of Blaze's head, lightly. "Thank you, Blaze."

Blaze crooned happily as he nuzzled Homura's hand.

Matsubusa bristled as he stumbled to his feet. "I-I was making it on my own! I didn't need-"

"Leader, Number Two," Kagari's voice came over the masks' radios, interrupting the redhead. Something about her tone encouraged no argument. "You need to see this. _Now_."

Matsubusa paused at that, his anger evaporating as confusion took over. He glanced over to Homura, who was looking past the docks in to the base before returning his attention to Matsubusa. The two nodded before they headed across the dock in to the base itself, cautious.

The first thing that became obvious was that there were no guards. Normally, at least two grunts were stationed at entrances at all times, ready to salute the admins and their leader upon their return. Instead of the guard there was paint - a blue etching of the Team Aqua logo drawn in spray paint across the door.

Matsubusa stared at the logo as realization dawned. He clenched his fists as he let out a curse, which was echoed by his personal assistant. The two rushed in deeper in to the base, seeking out the other admins.

The inside was worse. Every wall was covered in spray paint graffiti, ranging from taunts and curse words to crude drawings. The Team Aqua logo and name were especially repeated often, usually emphasizing their superiority over Team Magma in various ways. One of the most appalling murals that froze Matsubusa in his tracks was the image of someone in a Team Magma uniform dropping their pants and unleashing a huge brown tidal wave from their bare bottom that crashed into blocky sky scrapers and horrified stick people. Big bold letters in red proudly labeled the picture as, "Team Magma: our mission is to drown the world in our shit!"

Matsubusa gaped at the picture as he began to tremble, then swiftly lashed out his foot to kick at the wall. Drywall crunched under his foot, caving in the mocking face defecating before him, but the damage to the mural was not enough to quell his rising anger. " _Juvenile_ little... _children_!"

"We found the guards in the basement," Kagari said as she approached, her arms crossed. With her were the two guards in question, who looked fairly sullen and subdued behind her. "Thankfully, the pirates didn't do much more than tie them up. The same can't be said for our base, however."

"They left something in the meeting room," Courtney said over the com set. "I did a quick scan and it doesn't seem explosive."

"Just the same, we shouldn't-," Homura began before he jerked as Matsubusa let out a growl before storming past Kagari and the grunts, heading straight for the meeting room. "-Damn it."

Matsubusa stomped the whole way to the meeting room, passing by more and more crude graffiti as he made his way to his destination. Once there, he flung open the doors and ventured in to find the supposed 'gift' that Aogiri and his crew had left.

Tabitha and Courtney were already in the meeting room, eyeing the cloth covered object left at the center of the table. Tabitha looked up immediately upon Matsubusa's arrival while Courtney continued to use the strange device in her hand to scan the foreign object. Strangely enough, the walls had no paint on them, but seemed shiny with some strange substance Matsubusa was not interested in examining firsthand. His eyes were focused entirely on the little envelope resting neatly atop the pristine white blanket.

"Leader!" Tabitha yelped as he moved to intercept Matsubusa from coming closer. "Stay back. I'm the one who should examine these things up close first."

"Agreed," Homura said as he eyed Matsubusa, then turned to Tabitha. "I'd advise you be careful as well. I wouldn't be surprised if they each took a turn taking a dump on the table. That seems to be about the level of maturity we can expect from them."

Tabitha's face twisted in disgust as he nodded. "Got it. Good thing these masks have air filtration, huh?"

Homura nodded. "Just be careful and-" The assistant was immediately cut off by Matsubusa moving past him and Tabitha, heading straight for the table. "-Leader, _stop_ -!" Homura could barely get the words out before Matsubusa grabbed the cloth, yanking it away furiously as if he were yanking at Aogiri's beard itself.

With a quiet 'poomph,' the world exploded in glitter, as vibrant blue as the majority of the graffiti sprayed all over the place. For several moments there was only confusion and sparkling until the air eventually cleared as the glitter settled. Matsubusa barely had time to fume at such an immature prank before he noticed that much of the glitter had stuck to the walls and revealed hidden writing.

_GOTCHA MASKY_

Matsubusa stared at the writing before he clenched his fists, his entire body trembling. "That... that...!"

Homura glanced at the message before he let out a sigh. "Thank goodness for small favors, I suppose..."

"...The place has been looted, needless to say," Kagari said, not even bothering to wipe away the glitter on her mask and outfit. "We'll have to find a new base, and fortify the others to keep this from happening again."

"If he thinks this is the end of it, he's _mistaken_!" Matsubusa snarled as he pointed at the message, then whirled to his admins. "We'll see who 'got' who!"

Tabitha sighed as he bent down to pick up the envelope that had fallen onto the floor when Matsubusa pulled off the cloth. "How the heck did they find this base, anyway?"

Courtney wiped the glitter away from her device. "I'll check to see if our computer systems have been compromised."

"That would explain a couple things," Homura said. "It could be that they managed to do much more than hijack our masks like last time."

Matsubusa spotted the envelope in Tabitha's hand and swiftly swiped it before the other man could stop him, opening the envelope violently to get at the contents.

_Dear Masky,_

_Think of this as a warning not to involve innocent people in our games. Try it again, and we'll bring the fight to where **you** live._

_Thinking of that smackable butt of yours,_

_Your Captain._

_PS - I hope you like the present I left you._

Matsubusa's cheek twitched as he glared at the letter, his fingers tensing. Just as he was about to tear the paper up, Homura reached over to swiftly take it from him. The redhead whirled to glare at Homura. "You-!"

"So that's what this is," Homura said, blandly. "He's 'warning' us."

"While I have no issues with not involving innocents," Kagari said as she tilted her head. "Do they really think they're in a position to 'lecture' us?"

Tabitha peeked over Homura's shoulder before letting out a snort. "Could be worse, I guess. They could've copied us and flooded the place with a septic tank."

"Or distributed those photos of Leader online," Courtney said, never raising her eyes from her work.

Matsubusa bristled before he whirled to Courtney. "S-s-shut up! That... the picture isn't even any good! There'd be no point... he just brings it up to taunt me!"

"I meant the ones in your office," Courtney said.

Matsubusa paused at that, staring at Courtney. He was silent for several moments before he turned sharply on his heels, darting out of the room and heading to his office as quickly as his legs could carry him.

As the redhead arrived at his office, he found the door slightly ajar. The sight did little to reassure him, though he entered nevertheless. Once inside, he was immediately greeted by himself, or rather a particular part of himself. Covering every inch of every surface in the room were prints of his rear end, some from when he was bending over, oblivious to anyone taking a photograph behind him, and others from when Aogiri brazenly pulled his pants down and exposed his underwear for all the world to see.

Matsubusa trembled as he stood in the office, gaping at the pictures of his posterior. Feelings of outrage bubbled up inside of him, mingling with the memory of humiliation he felt when the pictures were first taken - at least, the pictures he had been aware of. The feelings continued to rise up inside him until they escaped as a sharp, piercing _shriek_ that echoed through the desecrated base.


	5. Chapter 5

The port was dead quiet at night, with only the gentle rocking of the tides to disturb the stillness. Team Aqua's flagship bobbed gently with the waves beside the peer while staying firmly anchored to the dock. It patiently awaited the return of its master and the rest of his crew, with only Shelly staying behind to guard as she stood on deck with her Garchomp, Goliath.

In the past, Team Aqua would never have thought of posting guard. No one would have dared mess with a ship belonging to the king of the sea and his crew. However, those days of careless confidence were gone, as there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Team Magma would retaliate. Even though a week had passed, it meant nothing. The promise of revenge was brewing, and only preparation and awareness could keep them from being caught totally off-guard. If the incident at the bar had taught them anything, it was that simple fact.

Unfortunately for Shelly, it was her turn to guard the ship as the others ventured in to town to gather supplies. The fiery female pirate was left to tend to the ship and the cargo already on board, waiting for her comrades to return with the last of the booty before they could disappear in to the darkness once more.

Shelly sighed as she stretched her arms above her head and let out a yawn. "Damn, this is boring." She glanced briefly over at her partner, Goliath, as she folded her arms behind her head and slowly walked along the deck, half hoping someone would show up to cause trouble if only to break up the monotony. "Those jackasses better not be taking so long because they found some action without me."

Goliath rumbled as he nodded his head, then glanced about the boat at the calm water. While he wasn't used to guard duty, he made an attempt not to let his guard down, if only because he intended to protect Shelly as she in turn protected the boat. Any Pokémon worth anything at all took protecting their trainer very seriously. Just the same, he couldn't help mimicking Shelly and giving a small, toothy yawn of his own.

Shelly scanned the docks for signs of life only to find nothing different than it was since the last time she checked. "Is there anything more boring than being stuck with guard duty?"

Goliath let out a snort in agreement, his eyes scanning the darkened horizon. He turned to Shelly and looked about to utter a growl of response when a sudden sharp whistling sound pierced the air, causing the Pokémon to pause. The Garchomp glanced about in the darkness, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as the sound seemingly came from everywhere and nowhere, growing louder by the second. As the sound intensified, Goliath turned his head just in time to see a blazing fireball in the shape of a bird heading his way, seemingly appearing from the darkness. He had no chance to react as the firebird impacted with him harshly, slamming the Garchomp backwards in a devastating attack.

The fire dissipated to show a Talonflame that quickly took back up in to the sky with a flap of his wings just as Goliath disappeared in to his Pokéball.

"Goliath!" Shelly shrieked before she whirled towards the Talonflame and reached for her belt to call for back up.

Before Shelly could finish reaching for her Pokédex so she could alert the others, she felt something small press up against the back of her head. An audible _click_ , faint and yet piercing, signaled her what the object was - a gun.

Shelly froze instinctively as she felt the cold barrel against her skull. Inwardly, she cursed herself for her inattention, but outwardly she tried to keep her composure.

The female pirate felt someone reach for her belt, relieving her of her Pokédex. With the device gone, a familiar voice came from directly behind her. "I'd advise you to behave." There was a pause, followed by a small chuckle. "As well as you are able, at any rate."

Shelly forced out a wry chuckle even as her mind raced to consider her options. "Anyone with a brain knows how to behave with gun to their head, bird boy."

"You'd be surprised," Homura said, lightly. "Hands up."

Shelly made a show of going slow as she raised her hands high into the air. "I meant anyone with a _functioning_ brain."

"As I said, you'd be surprised," Homura said, with a hint of amusement in his voice. Using his gun, he guided Shelly over to the center of the boat, towards the mast. Just as it registered what the man was intending, Homura was joined by Kagari, flanked by a Ninetails with sleek, white fur and black markings over her eyes and on her feet. The woman swiftly moved to tie Shelly to the mast, securing her hands first before her feet, then adding a third binding of rope around her waist.

Shelly watched as Kagari tied on the restraints before she cocked an eyebrow at Homura. "What, a gun and a Talonflame aren't enough to take down little old me?"

"Quite frankly? No," Homura said, with an arch of his eyebrow - not that Shelly could see it. "I won't take any chances with you lot. You've got brass balls the size of Golems."

Shelly let out a bark of laughter. "How sexy. Do you usually tell all the ladies that you imagine them having giant testicles with faces, or am I just special?"

Homura held up his gun, pointing the barrel to the sky. "I won't deny the 'special' aspect, at the very least." He then proceeded to reach up with his free hand and un-chamber the bullet he had loaded up before, then flicked on the safety so he could put it away. Shelly caught a glimpse of it just long enough to note that it was a rubber bullet.

Homura turned to greet his comrades as they boarded the secured boat quickly, carrying canisters of paint, mops, and strange-looking guns with large bottle-like canisters that reminded Shelly of high tech water guns. "Everything's secure."

Matsubusa crossed his arms as he sauntered over to stand by Homura, regarding Shelly before glancing about the boat. "...Make it quick. The rest of them won't be delayed too long."

The other admins of Team Magma quickly dispersed, leaving Homura to stand guard over Shelly.

Kagari grabbed a bucket of paint and popped open the top before swiftly dumping the entire contents on the deck of the ship, a splash of red surging outwards to cover as much wood as possible. She gave the bucket a vigorous shake before gently putting it to the side, exchanging it with a mop one of the grunts held out to her. She slapped the end of the mop against the thick, wet paint before she proceeded to swirl it about, spreading the crimson color about.

Shelly craned her head as best she could to watch, seeing the admins of Team Magma beginning to desecrate their ship. Worse than that, grunts followed their leader inside the depths of their boat only to emerge soon after, carrying crates found therein. It was an unpleasant realization that Team Magma was stealing their goods – starting with their most precious cargo, their booze. The Aqua admin could do nothing but glare as the Magma grunts carried the crates of alcohol off the ship.

Matsubusa wasted no time in heading straight for the captain's room, deep within the boat. Carrying two buckets of paint, one pink and the other red, the leader of Team Magma surveyed the room before he unceremoniously dumped the contents of both buckets, tossing them about haphazardly to create a swirling effect.

After a moment of watching the others, Homura reached down to grab one of the numerous cans of paint and pulled off the top. Pulling out a thin paint brush from his pocket, Homura turned to face Shelly before he dabbed the brush in his can of paint, then reached over to draw a red squiggle across her brow.

Shelly grimaced at the feeling and gave Homura a deadpan stare. "Funny how a guy who can so casually point a loaded gun at someone's head can turn right around to graffiti the next."

"I'm fairly versatile," Homura replied as he trailed the brush down Shelly's nose before swirling it about, coating it red.

Shelly flinched back with a squeak before she could stop herself, her nose wrinkling up. She ignored the embarrassed heat rising to her face and eyed Homura. "Are you this kinky with all the girls you tie up?"

Homura trailed his brush over to Shelly's lightly pink cheeks, smearing paint across them to create an artificial blush. "I'm not surprised you find this kinky, considering your leader."

Shelly made a show of slowly arching an eyebrow. "Why bird boy, have you been having some raunchy ideas about what me and my crew get up to?"

"You don't get to play innocent when your leader is bound and determined to get his hands on my leader's posterior every chance he gets," Homura replied, blandly.

Shelly rolled her eyes. "Ah, of course. Because spanking his ass to show we spanked his ass clearly means we're regularly engaging in orgies or something like that. Why did I miss something so obvious?"

Homura moved his paint brush, slapping it against Shelly's chest so that it splattered everywhere. "My, what a vivid imagination you have." He straightened up and smirked at his captive. While it couldn't be seen, his tone did a good enough job implying its existence. "However, hyperbole will get you nowhere with me."

Shelly looked at Homura dryly, her cheek twitching. "He said as he fondled my tits with a brush. Totally believing you there, bird boy. Really."

Homura wordlessly replied with a flick of his brush at Shelly, splattering her vest with red.

Kagari continued to smear about the paint, glancing over to Tabitha as he covered the other side of the deck, using a lighter shade of red. She hummed before she stopped, peering down the edge of the boat to check on Courtney. She saw the other woman down below, using a high-powered paint gun to spread graffiti along the side of the boat - graffiti that caused Kagari to pause. "...Tech Master, is that what I think it is?"

Courtney didn't look up from her work. "That depends."

Kagari eyed Courtney warily. "Depends on what?"

"On whether you think it's an erect penis or not," Courtney said as she added a liberal touch of fluid spurting out the tip of her creation.

Kagari's expression deadpanned beneath her mask. "...I see."

Courtney finally turned to Kagari and flicked out her brush with a flourish towards her artistic masterpiece. "My magnum o-penis."

Homura paused, his brush halting in the air as paint dripped off of it. He looked at Shelly, then glanced over to Kagari. He returned his attention to Shelly for a moment before he dipped the brush back in the paint, setting the can down before walking over to join Kagari and Tabitha as the two stood on the side of the boat and looked at Courtney's magnum opus - or in this case, magnum o-penis. "...You drew a penis."

"Magnum _o-penis_ ," Courtney said, stressing the title without otherwise changing her neutral tone.

"...We'd better finish before Leader sees it," Kagari said as she crossed her arms, positioning them under her breasts.

"See what?" Matsubusa asked as he exited the captain's cabin, having finished coating every inch of it in paint.

Courtney began to gesture with a grand flourish towards the boat and the graffiti across the side. "My magnum-"

In an instant, Tabitha ran out to block Matsubusa's view of the dock. "It's nothing! Nothing to see here!"

Even through the mask, Matsubusa's suspicion was palpable. The redhead narrowed his eyes before he tilted his head to the side, trying to see past his admin. "...Is that so."

Tabitha felt a rush of panic flood through him and he quickly shoved Matsubusa towards Homura and away from the sight of the giant phallus with a rushed apology.

Matsubusa stumbled back with a yelp, his suspicion turning to anger. "What-!?"

" _We're leaving_ ," Homura announced, grabbing Matsubusa by the shoulders, yanking him backwards before he began to forcibly lead him away. "We've done enough, they'll be back any time now."

"Eh? Ah... what?" Matsubusa glanced back at Homura as he struggled to resist his personal assistant, only to fail as he was forced along anyway. "Wait-!"

"Yup, better hurry!" Tabitha shouted, failing to sound natural.

"Wai-wai-wait! What are you hiding!?" Matsubusa demanded as he squirmed and shoved against Homura. "What did you do!?"

Shelly rolled her eyes towards the sky. "They drew dick doodles and now they're trying to hide it from you because apparently you'll faint with a nosebleed or the vapors. Not sure which."

 Homura shot Shelly a glare as he passed by her, clenching his jaw.

" _What-_!?" came the high-pitched shriek from Matsubusa, his face turning bright red beneath the mask. "You drew _what_ -!?"

"Move it or I'm going to throw you over my shoulder and _carry_ you," Homura growled low in to his mask, so his voice could be heard by Matsubusa without the Aqua admin hearing.

Matsubusa jerked and whirled to stare at Homura. "...Don't you _dare_ -!"

Shelly grinned wickedly. "Big old dicks. Probably modeled after yours since you _are_ marking your territory all over our stuff."

"My magnum o-penis isn't modeled after our boss," Courtney said. "It's a times 20 exact scale recreation of the lead character Hokage's first on-screen erection in the series Hot Boy Love Panic."

Matsubusa screamed out a stream of jumbled words, high-pitched and incomprehensible, as he raised his fists in the sky and shook them furiously. The words continued to stream out of his mouth even as Homura hefted him upwards like a sack of potatoes and promptly fled the ship before their leader made any more of a fool out of himself.

In spite of everything, Shelly couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

The first thing Aogiri saw upon his return was the grand 'magnum o-penis' Courtney had left behind. For a long moment he could only stare at the carefully drawn phallus, his mouth open in a small o of wonder, as most of his friends stood around him in varying degrees of surprise and annoyance. Finally, when their leader snapped out of it, he could only say the first thing that popped into his mind. "Damn it! They beat us to it!"

Izumi glared up at the graffiti before she quickly hurried to the gangplank, boarding the boat as quickly as she dared with all the paint. "Shelly! Shelly, are you alright!?"

Shelly leaned casually against the mast in as comfortable position as she could muster. "Oh, aside from being tied up, humiliated, and slathered with paint by bird boy, I'm actually in a pretty good mood." She raised a wry eyebrow at Aogiri as he boarded. "Sorry, boss, but my arms were tied and I couldn't record the meltdown Masky did when he saw the giant penis his own goons painted."

Aogiri snapped his fingers and muttered a curse.

"I guess they won on that count too, even if they didn't mean to," Izumi said as she moved to cut Shelly loose, flicking out a knife to neatly slice the ropes. "I should've stayed with you."

Shelly brushed some errant hairs out of her face. "We're just going to need more than one person on lookout next time, even if they've got a Pokémon out." She frowned. "Goliath got taken down."

Aogiri let out a displeased rumble. "Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps now this is the perfect time for me to propose that Team Aqua finally get serious."

 Matt finally caught up with the others, being the slowest of the group. "What do you mean? Like we're going to _attack_ them now?"

"Oh, we're attacking alright," Aogiri said with a grin. "Right in the ego, but it's pretty clear we can't keep up with them with just the five of us. See, with those grunts of theirs, they can give us the run around with decoys like they did earlier. While we were running around chasing shadows, the _real_ head honchos were here going after Shelly and our ride."

"...Hate to say it, but I'm really warmin' up to the idea of expandin' the crew," Ushio said as he put his hands on his hips, glancing about the boat. "It's gonna be a helluva job, cleanin' this crap up by ourselves."

Aogiri folded his arms over his chest as he surveyed the damage. "Not just this crap, but all the crap floating around in the ocean lately, and I'm not just talking those Magma dicks. I've been thinking about this for a while now, and with how we're taking on _serious_ assholes now, we can't let ourselves keep tripping over two-bit chumps. After we get this place nice and presentable, we're heading back to our old stomping grounds and going on a recruitment drive!"

Izumi nodded as she crossed her arms, a grim smile on her face. "Sounds like a plan."

Shelly scratched off some of the dry paint that itched at her skin. "Before we do that, you might want to take a look at what Masky did down below." She glanced sideways at Aogiri. "I bet a hundred bucks that he went gunning for your room specifically, boss."

Aogiri stared at Shelly for a second before he took off like a shot. Less than a minute later, loud salty language filled the air as Aogiri saw what had been done to his cabin.

Ushio flinched as he heard their captain's cursing, then shook his head. He let out a deep sigh before he paused, his eyebrows furrowing as a familiar scent flooded his nose. The large man glanced about, his eyes scouring about before settling on the other admins. "Yo, anyone else smell something?"

Matt sniffed the air. "It smells like... alcohol and soda?"

Shelly grunted as she rubbed her temple to stave off an oncoming headache. "Ah, right, they swiped all our stash. I didn't see what they did with it... but I have a feeling whatever it is, we're going to be pissed off."

Izumi frowned before she walked past Ushio, heading to the side of the boat. She peered down at the docks below before she jerked. Her eyes settled upon dozens of recycling bins neatly arranged along the side of the dock, each one filled with bottles - both glass and plastic. Even from the distance, she could recognize the contents as alcohol and soda bottles, more specifically _their_ alcohol and soda bottles. Even worse, judging by the slick wet dock all around it and the strong scent, it became abundantly obvious that the Magma grunts had simply _dumped_ the contents all along the dock before disposing of the containers right beside the boat - naturally, in the recycling bins. Izumi clenched her fists, rage bubbling up inside her. "...Those _bastards_!"

Shelly stared at the empty bottles, a war of emotions playing across her face before she settled on narrowing her eyes and gritting her teeth. "Do they have _any_ idea how much some of that shit _costs_?"

"So they just stole all our crap, and then _dumped_ it!?" Ushio demanded as he gripped the edge of the railing. " _Everything_!?"

Matt's jaw dropped as he gawked in horror at the sight. He muttered denials to himself as he hurried below, but found that even his hiding place for his most prized pieces of his collection and wailed after he saw it too had been broken into and emptied. " _No_!" He fell to his knees, slamming his fist against the floor. "You maniacs! That was the last case of Crystal Buzz in Hoenn! They stopped making it twenty years ago!"

Shelly cocked her head slightly before shaking her head. "Sounds like Matt's even more upset than the boss."

"I was so close to recreating the recipe!" Matt shouted, his voice overflowing with frustration as he pounded the deck. "So! Damn! Close! You _bastards_!"

"It's just _not right_ , man," Ushio said, turning to Aogiri as he saw the captain emerge from the cabin. "It's just not _right_."

Aogiri looked to his admins, hearing the continued anguished outcries from Matt below, before he peered over the edge of the ship. The shadows turned his eyes dark and cast a terrible sharpness on his smile that made him look ready to bite down onto a certain person's backside. "Well, we'll just have to _make_ it right, won't we?"

* * *

With the newfound fire started in the hearts of Team Aqua, Aogiri and his crew wasted no time in taking steps to become a legitimate team. Between the recruitment drives in areas where they already had a positive presence, scouring for places of interest for potential bases, and securing both supplies and supply chains to keep said goods coming, it took them months to build a team that other people tried and failed to accomplish over several years.

Once Aogiri had whipped the new and improved Team Aqua into shape, it was time for them to go off on their first big mission - humiliate Team Magma.

Izumi worked diligently with her new set up, searching for any signs of movement from their rivals. Combing news broadcasts, scouring the Internet, and keeping an ear out for any recent ecological scandals, Team Aqua's own Tech Master doggedly threw everything she had in to figuring out the next big target for Team Magma - and thus _their_ next target.

There was only one thing the headlines talked about - a toxic waste spill in a park near Kinsetsu City, thought to be the result of illegal dumping. It was quite the scandal, with numerous humans being sent to the hospital and even more Pokémon becoming sick - and others outright dying. While all avenues were being investigated, one company in particular was under the most scrutiny. However, no evidence had yet materialized to provide a sufficient enough case for prosecution. After all, the company insisted that all the waste was accounted for as far as the records were concerned, with legal disposal records to prove it, and the toxic material was in unmarked barrels. The fact that they were the only industrial plant to locally produce the waste was in no way conclusive evidence, no matter how suspicious.

In other words, it was the exact kind of situation that would prompt Team Magma to stick their noses in.

It was a quiet night in the warehouse district when Team Aqua closed in on their targets. Aogiri, Ushio, and Matt waited in the shadow of the building, crouching down to avoid detection as they waited for any sign from Izumi and Shelly. The girls had gone in ahead to look for signs of their prey.

"Man, I hope Izumi was right," Ushio grumbled. "This waitin' is _killin'_ me." He reached up to scratch at his head. "I mean, with Shelly stakin' out those Magma twerps while _they_ were stakin' out the place... seems like an awful lot of work."

"It'll be worth it," Aogiri whispered, his eyes never leaving their target. "Believe me, once we pull this off, we'll be laughing about it for years to come."

Matt's brow furrowed with concern. "I wonder what they'll do in retaliation next time," he muttered under his breath.

"I hope so," Ushio murmured as he glanced to Aogiri. "It was a helluva time gettin' that damn dick off the side of the boat."

Aogiri smiled as his gaze turned hard. "Believe me, no one is gonna forget tonight."

 In the distance they saw a glint of light - Shelly's signal to move in.

Aogiri's smile widened. "It's time."

* * *

" _You can't do this to me_!"

Mr. Ubukata of Ubukata Industries' voice echoed through the large warehouse, filled with indignation. A medium-sized man with a block-like face and short brown hair, the man squirmed violently in his bindings as he was forcibly restrained in to a chair. "You... you're trespassing! All of you!"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it, yes," Matsubusa said as he crossed his arms. The redhead stood in front of Mr. Ubukata, his mask obscuring both his face and his voice due to the technology involved. "Though that is, quite frankly, the least of your concerns."

Courtney was the only high ranking member of Team Magma not present in the factory, but she was watching from the security cameras inside their mission van. She held a finger to her ear, listening to communications from their subordinates before she switched over to Matsubusa's channel. "We're ready to begin whenever you are, Leader."

Matsubusa nodded, before he snapped his fingers. Wordlessly, Homura shoved a chair over to the leader of Team Magma, who grabbed it and plopped it right in front of Mr. Ubukata before he sat down in it, leaning backwards as he lifted his right leg to prop it over his left knee. He laced his fingers together and placed his hands in his lap. "Now then, Mr. Ubukata. I believe we have some _business_ to discuss."

"I don't have _anything_ to say to the likes of _you_ -!" Mr. Ubukata began before he jerked with a yelp when Matsubusa stuck his foot out to plant it solidly against his chair before pushing, causing it to lift upwards and tilt him backwards.

"So, tell me," Matsubusa said as he held the chair upwards for a moment before drawing back his foot, allowing it to fall harshly back on all fours with a yelp from its occupant. "Why did you think it was a particularly good idea to illegally dump all of your waste rather than use an environmentally safe disposal service, as required by law?"

Mr. Ubukata grimaced, gritting his teeth. "...I don't know what you're talking about. We have _records_ that show-"

"Oh yes, I've seen those records. And they're very _nice_ records, I'll admit," Matsubusa said with an easy-going smile that was hidden by his mask. "You must have paid quite a bit for them."

Mr. Ubukata stopped, his eyes widening as he stared at the Team Magma leader. "N-now wait one minute! Just what are you implying!?"

"Of course, I imagine the price of those records was much cheaper than actually using a proper disposal service," Matsubusa continued as he draped his foot over his knee again and wagged his foot idly. "In addition to whatever you paid to have those barrels dumped at the park - assuming you didn't simply have your employees do it themselves. The video surveillance certainly seems to suggest that."

"T-this... this is an invasion of my _privacy_!" Mr. Ubukata snarled. "I have my rights! This is an illegal search and-"

"Mr. Ubukata," Matsubusa said as he tilted his head. "Do I look like the police to you?"

Mr. Ubukata stopped and glanced about, noting Kagari, Homura, and Tabitha as they stood around their leader and watched him. He couldn't see their faces, but he could feel their stares - accusing and hateful. "N-n-now listen. Be reasonable here. Even if that waste _did_ come from my facility, there's no proof that _it_ was directly responsible for what happened. Wild Pokémon kill each other all the time, you can't blame me for that. How do you know it was the waste and not a Muk or something that was drawn to it?"

Matsubusa steepled his fingers together. "We're talking about _toxic waste_ , Mr. Ubukata. _Your_ toxic waste. Which, as I'll point out, was never supposed to be in the area to begin with. If it _was_ a Muk, as you suggest... don't you share responsibility for its presence, considering you are the reason for it _hypothetically_ being in the area?"

"A-absolutely not! I can't be held responsible for what some wild Pokémon does!" Mr. Ubukata protested as he began to sweat. "For all we know, the _environment_ made the situation worse! The waste was _hardly that toxic_ to begin with-!"

"...It's been declared as a _hazardous waste_ and a _known_ carcinogen," Matsubusa said, his tone deadpan.

"B-bah, don't you know that _everything_ apparently causes cancer?" Mr. Ubukata said with a shake of his head. "It's just the government trying to meddle-"

"I see," Matsubusa said, raising his voice to interrupt the bound man. "So then you believe that your _toxic waste_ is _perfectly safe_?"

"Despite countless studies to the contrary?" Homura asked, his voice biting.

"S-studies always have an angle - you have to pay attention to who's funding the project," Mr. Ubukata said, speaking with a shaky confidence of someone who had said the same thing numerous times before. "Really, it's all politics-"

"Well, then," Matsubusa said as he set his foot on the floor and stood up. "Shall we perform our own experiment~?"

Mr. Ubukata froze at that. "...Eh?"

"If your toxic waste is so _safe_ , then you will have _no issues_ with _taking a bath_ in it," Matsubusa said, lightly. "Or, perhaps I should say... _take a dip_?"

"E-eh? What... what are you...?" Mr. Ubukata began before he jerked as the floor beside him suddenly opened up, revealing one of the numerous industrial vats used at his facility. He stared in disbelief to find it filled with disgusting, goopy sludge, the stench wafting upwards and biting at his unprotected nose. "W-what have you done-!?"

"Why, what's wrong, Mr. Ubukata~?" Matsubusa asked, cheerfully. "It's perfectly safe, isn't it? There should be _no problem_ with you breathing in its _stench_."

Mr. Ubukata grimaced as the odor bit at his nose, offensively foul as it burned at his nose hairs. He quickly looked away, just in time to see Matsubusa gesture towards Tabitha. "W-wait, wait, wait... you can't be serious!?"

Tabitha slowly approached Ubukata, almost hesitant, before he took a hold of the chair.

"N-no, you can't!" Mr. Ubukata squirmed in his chair, then yelped as Tabitha fastened a hook to the ropes, one that was attached to the chain of a nearby crane. "I-is this about money? Is it money you want!?"

Matsubusa let out a sharp bark of laughter before he grinned, baring his teeth beneath his mask. " _Money_ , Mr. Ubukata? Will _money_ bring those dead Pokémon back? Will _money_ spare your _still living_ victims from all the suffering you've inflicted on them?"

" _Killing me_ won't do that either!" Mr. Ubukata protested as he glanced between Tabitha and Matsubusa, his face pale as his voice rose in pitch.

"No, but it will _guarantee_ that you'll _never do it again_ ," Matsubusa said, his tone immediately dropping all false friendliness and turning cold as ice.

Mr. Ubukata stared at Matsubusa as horror spread across his face before he turned to Tabitha. "W-wait, you... you don't have to do this! You think this is crazy too, don't you!?" He saw Tabitha hesitate and leaned forward, desperate. "T-t-this is _murder_! He's insane, he's clearly insane! L-look, we can-"

Despite being the alteration of a voice changer, the wavering in Tabitha's tone was obvious. "M-Murder...?"

"Murder!" Mr. Ubukata repeated, darting from Tabitha to the other watching admins. "L-look, he's obviously not reasonable, but you-"

"You mean this stuff really _can_ kill you?" Tabitha asked, aghast.

Mr. Ubukata paused, then looked flustered. "T-that's not the point! This whole situation is... look, it's clear that you don't want to do this-"

Tabitha turned towards Matsubusa. "Leader, look at him. He's terrified. He's practically begging for his life."

"I can see that," Matsubusa said, dryly.

"Y-you don't have to do this!" Mr. Ubukata said, glancing between Matsubusa and Tabitha. "I-I can pay you more than you could _ever_ imagine-!"

In a blink, Tabitha's fist slammed into Ubukata's gut. He watched as the man folded over as much as the bindings would allow, coughing and gasping for air at the same time. He waited until Ubukata's gasping subsided a bit before speaking again. "I wonder how many of your victims begged for _their_ lives too." Gone was the waver in his voice and in its place was something dark and unforgiving.

Mr. Ubukata choked for air as he quivered, then shakily lifted his head to gawk at Tabitha. "W-what...?"

Tabitha leaned in until their captive could see nothing but his smiling mask. "Though to be fair, some of your victims _did_ survive, so maybe, just _maybe_ we'll let you live..." He paused significantly, letting the offer dangle in the air long enough to give Ubukata some hope, but then he continued. "If you dump acid on yourself to match the burns and disfigurement of the survivors."

Mr. Ubukata sucked in air as he stared at Tabitha, or at least his mask, as his breath slowly returned to him. "Y-you're... you're crazy...!"

Tabitha leaned back a bit as his voice took on a twisted tone in a sweet falsetto. "And then you can cut off some of your fingers, toes, and even your nose!" He suddenly moved in until his mask nearly slammed into the captive's face. "But that's only if you want to live through tonight."

"I-I... I...," Mr. Ubukata stammered before he jerked backwards. "Help! _Help_! S-s-someone _help me_!" the man shrieked, his voice echoing through the room.

Tabitha straightened up and walked away with a shrug. "I tried."

Mr. Ubukata stared after Tabitha before he let out a startled yelp as the crane suddenly hummed to life. He whirled to see Kagari sitting in the operator's seat, working the controls. He let out a terrified scream as the chain attached to the crane began to pull tight, lifting him upwards off the ground. "N-no! No, no, no! No, _please_!"

"It's not too late to change your mind," Tabitha said sweetly over his shoulder. "I'd say it'll take you, oh, 30 seconds to hit the vat? Better think it over quickly~!"

"Should we take bets?" Homura asked, lightly.

"I don't bet on sure things," Matsubusa replied, with a chuckle, as he watched Kagari maneuver the crane – and Mr. Ubukata – over to the vat. "We all know that Mr. Ubukata's overdue for a _bath_."

Mr. Ubukata let out another scream as the crane came to a stop just over the vat of toxic waste. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he stared down at the disgusting glob. "I-I'll do anything! _Anything_!"

"Anything _but_ what you need to do," Homura said, with a snort. "What you should've done from the very start."

"I-I'll do it!" the captive man begged, tears streaming down his cheeks as he stared down past his feet at the putrid waste. "I'll do _anything_!"

"Well, then, Mr. Ubukata," Matsubusa tilted his head to the side as he smirked. "Can you _fly_?"

Mr. Ubukata's response was a strangled scream seconds before the crane released the chain, causing him to plummet downwards toward the vat.

Just before he was about to hit the sludge, a figure in blue swung down from a rope and snatched him away in the nick of time.

"What-!? Who-!?" Matsubusa jerked as his eyes widened. As his eyes settled on the supposed rescuer, they widened as outrage flooded his face. It was none other than Aogiri holding the rope with one hand and Mr. Ubukata in the other as he swung to the higher walkway. " _You_!?"

Aogiri flashed Matsubusa a wide grin after gracefully landing on the walkway. "Miss me, Masky?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Matsubusa demanded, fury evident in his voice.

Aogiri took a small but powerful laser cutter from his pocket and severed the chain that connected the chair to the crane before Kagari could get any ideas of reeling their fish back in. "What, did you blink and miss it? Damn. I was hoping you'd get a good look at me swinging in all swashbuckling and awesome and heroic."

"Heroic _my ass_!" Matsubusa snapped. "Do you have _any_ idea what you're doing!?"

"Oh, just saving lives, doing the hero thing," Aogiri drawled before cutting Ubukata loose from the chair. "Nothing much. What you been up to?"

"You're 'saving' a _monster_!" Matsubusa barked as he gestured at Mr. Ubukata, who was gasping for air as he trembled. "Don't you know what he's _done_ , you ignorant _imbecile_!?"

"Oh, so you were just doing a little monster slaying, huh?" Aogiri asked as he cocked an eyebrow.

 "It's called _justice_!" Matsubusa snarled.

"Which is something I'm sure _you're_ unfamiliar with." Homura said, his tone icy.

Tabitha was practically quaking with anger. "Do you have _any_ idea how many people have _suffered_ because of that _bastard?_!"

"Funny that," Aogiri said lightly as he cocked his head. "You see, justice usually doesn't involve cold blooded murder. In fact, it's usually just the opposite. That's why I got a bit confused by what you're doing here."

Matsubusa clenched his fists. "I'm not going to be preached at by someone who only uses their _moral compass_ to tell them which way is north!"

"This goes far beyond your silly pranks," Kagari said as she stepped out of the crane, watching both Aogiri and Mr. Ubukata. She knew the rest of his crew had to be somewhere, she just couldn't see them yet. "And naivety only goes so far in the real world."

Aogiri focused his attention on Matsubusa. "I must say, Masky, I'm pretty disappointed in this side of you. Here I thought Magma was classier than taking out hits on people like some other teams. I really thought you and me had something of an understanding going on."

Matsubusa grit his teeth. "Don't talk as if you know anything about me. This world isn't just one drunken frat party - _someone_ has to actually be responsible!"

 "D-don't listen to them," Mr. Ubukata said as he turned desperately to Aogiri. "Y-you have my gratitude, you-" A loud bang cut off the man abruptly, prompting him to jerk back with a scream as a bullet narrowly avoided his head.

It should've been an easy shot. With everyone busy talking, no one would've been prepared for Homura to draw his gun and silence the scheming weasel. Unfortunately, it seemed that not _everyone_ was distracted. As Homura had drawn his gun and taken aim, he was immediately interrupted by a sudden blast of sand from nearby - a Sand Attack from Goliath as the Garchomp darted out of the shadows to intercept him. Homura was thankful for his mask to protect his face, but the sudden sandy gust had shifted his arm just enough that his shot missed.

Homura cursed before he whipped about to see Shelly and her Pokémon. "You..."

Shelly slowly wagged a finger at Homura. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt, bird boy?"

"And that's my cue to make my dramatic exit," Aogiri said with a bow. He abruptly scooped Ubukata into his arms and ran down the walkway in the opposite direction of Team Magma.

"Who's interrupting _who_?" Homura demanded before he whipped about. "I won't miss again, Mr. Ubukata!"

Mr. Ubukata squealed as he clung to Aogiri, tears streaming down his cheeks. "H-help me... help me!"

Matsubusa and his admins quickly reached for their Pokéballs, and in a flurry, their Pokémon were called to the scene. Dante appeared beside Matsubusa, his hackles raised as he growled. Meanwhile, Miko the Ninetails appeared beside Kagari, and Tabitha's own Burst the red Camerupt appeared beside her own trainer. Only Homura hesitated to call his Pokémon, as there wasn't much room for the Talonflame to maneuver properly.

"Stop him!" Matsubusa commanded as he made a sweeping gesture after the fleeing Aogiri.

"It's show time, mates!" Aogiri shouted.

As Dante darted after Aogiri, the wall in front of him immediately exploded with bits of rubble and brick. Emerging from the wreckage was Leviathan, the hulking Feraligatr letting out a roar as she towered in front of the Houndoom.

Behind her, men and women wearing uniforms flooded inside like a tidal wave. Some wore blue bell-bottom pants with white circles up the sides, along with black and white striped tank-tops and t-shirts with a blue bandanna sporting the team logo in white. Others wore blue and white striped tank-tops and t-shirts with matching socks, some up to the knees while others more like tights than actual socks, with shaggy shorts in varying shades of gray. A black sash tied around their waists and black bandannas with a white Team Aqua logo completed their outfits. Regardless of which outfit the assembled grunts decided to wear, each person sported thick black boots and matching gloves, which gripped their Pokéballs before they tossed them forward at Team Magma.

Leviathan flashed both Dante and Matsubusa a toothy grin before she turned, moving through the crowd of Aqua grunts to follow after her trainer.

Matsubusa jerked back before he growled. "Tech Master, sound the alert! All forces, move in!"

"Roger," Courtney said before opening communications with all Team Magma members. "Red alert! Converge on Leader's location!

 "Aw _yeah_ , it's _fightin_ ' time!" Ushio crowed as he flexed his arm muscles, a gesture mimicked by his Swampert. "You ready to _go_ , Typhoon!?"

Typhoon croaked loudly before he lunged forward, charging at the nearest Magma admin, who just so happened to be Tabitha.

Tabitha let out a growl at the back of his throat. "You stupid kids need to stop sticking your noses where it doesn't belong. Burst, take care of them!"

Burst let out a loud cry as the volcanoes on her back shot out plumes of smoke and flame.

"Miko, Flamethrower!" Kagari ordered, and the Ninetails shot out a burst of fire directly at the Aqua grunts, sending them scurrying to avoid the biting flames. "Leader!"

Matsubusa nodded before he charged forward, through the sea of grunts to follow after Aogiri. "Dante!"

Dante let out an impressive roar as he ran alongside his trainer, fire in his eyes as he focused only on his target.

Shelly cocked her head back slightly when she noticed Homura hesitate to call his Pokémon. "Oh? Did you want to handle me personally, bird boy?"

Homura paused before he turned to glare at Shelly. "...I'm not so stupid as to call a _flying_ _Pokémon_ in to an enclosed area, like someone else."

Shelly's grin widened. "See, that's why Goliath here actually knows how to fight in cramped quarters."

Homura arched an eyebrow as he regarded the Aqua admin and her Garchomp. While she couldn't see the expression, the blandness in his tone made up for it. "Well, so long as he knows how to fight s _omewhere_."

Shelly folded her arms over her chest. "Well then, what say we let our Pokémon spectate a match between trainers for a change?"

Homura regarded Shelly flatly for several moments before he flipped the safety on his gun, then pocketed it in its holster by his side. He then turned, reaching his hand out towards Shelly and wordlessly gestured at her with his fingers to come closer.

Shelly's smile grew wide as she rushed forward to accept the invitation. Once she was within arm's reach, her hand lashed out towards Homura's side, only to barely come up short when he jerked back.

Typhoon darted around Burst, placing his hands on the floor before using them to hop forward as he dodged the blasts of magma that impacted with the ground where he had stood previously. As he kept hopping, the Swampert took a deep breath that caused his throat to balloon up before he spat out a blast of water at the fire and ground type Pokémon.

"Oya, _oya_! You gotta do better than that if yer fuzz-face wants to beat my Typhoon!" Ushio barked as he waved a fist at the other man, grinning from ear to ear.

Tabitha growled at the back of his throat. "Burst is a lot stronger than you give her credit for!"

Burst emphasized the point by charging at Typhoon, lowering her head and slamming it in to the Swampert's chest as she threw her weight in to the attack.

"My, my," Kagari smiled as she crossed her arms, resting her breasts upon them as she stood, shifting her hips. "There goes another one. Is that really the best you can do?"

The Team Aqua grunt before her grit his teeth and grabbed for another Pokéball off his belt. "You're not gonna humiliate me during my first big mission, wench!"

Kagari giggled, the sound muffled by her mask. "I prefer 'witch', myself. But by all means, if you've got some manner of _talent_ hiding in those _balls_ of yours, don't hold back on _my_ account. Miko is growing _bored_."

Homura ducked down, narrowly avoiding a blow to the head. Placing his hands on the floor as he dropped, he kicked his foot out, sweeping it around to strike at Shelly's legs.

Shelly dove into a flip to dodge Homura's leg at the last second, tumbling towards him to lash out with her foot right towards his head.

Homura jerked back as the foot impacted solidly with his mask. As the man fell backwards, his mask flew off his face and landed on the floor beside him. Sensing his face was exposed, he quickly twisted his body about to fall on his side, his hand reaching up to grab the side of his hood and pull it over to cover his face.

Shelly smirked as she caught the briefest glimpse of something behind the mask. "Purple, hmm? I always loved that color."

Homura swiftly put his mask back on and shot Shelly a glance. "...Then you're really going to enjoy the _bruises_ I've given you."

"Not half as much as I'll enjoy the ones I gave you," Shelly practically purred as she straightened up.

A sudden blast of cold water knocked back a number of the Team Magma grunts and their Pokémon. Matt grinned as he stood beside Kappa and entered the scene. "Hope you don't mind having less reinforcements."

A sudden gout of purple flames made Matt jerk back with a yelp, but it was the attack that went unseen that sent Kappa staggering back.

Courtney walked in with her Chandelure, Willow, floating by her side. "We have enough."

As the admins and grunts duked it out behind him, Matsubusa had his sights seat on the leader of the troublemakers - Aogiri. It didn't take him long to catch up to the fleeing man as he darted along the stairway overhead carrying Mr. Ubukata while Leviathan followed underneath. Matsubusa knew that there was no way he'd be able to intercept Aogiri while he had the higher ground, so that meant only one thing.

He had to bring Aogiri down to _his_ level.

Reaching to his side, Matsubusa grabbed his whip. With an expert flick of his arm and a thunderous _crack_ of the leather, the leader of Team Magma sent the tip flying towards Aogiri's foot. The tip of the whip wrapped around Aogiri's foot as it was just about to move away, and Matsubusa quickly yanked back on his whip with both hands.

Aogiri bit back a yelp as he was pulled off balance. Mr. Ubukata's weight under his arm only hindered his balance, making it a struggle for him not to fall off the walkway. "You're a stubborn guy, ain't ya?"

"I could say the same to you!" Matsubusa growled as he yanked on the whip again. "You don't know how to stay out of other people's business, do you!?"

Aogiri was ready this time and grinned wickedly as he kicked his foot in Matsubusa's direction. The action caught the leader of Team Magma off-balance, allowing the captain of Team Aqua to swing his leg the opposite way and yank with impressive strength.

Matsubusa yelped as he was yanked forward, stumbling. "Gyack-!?"

Aogiri laughed as he kept running, forcing Matsubusa to keep up with him or risk losing hold of the whip. "Let's play walk the dog, Masky, or should I say _Poochy_?"

"B-b-bastard!" Matsubusa shrieked as he stumbled after, keeping a hold of his whip. "Dante!"

Dante growled and lunged forward. As Leviathan whirled towards him, he jumped above her snapping jaws and used her face as a springboard to make a lunge for the walkway.

Leviathan looked more than a little bewildered at the dog using her snout in such a manner and stopped, standing on her hind legs to turn and stare up at the Houndoom.

Dante flashed the gigantic Feraligatr a fanged smirk before he focused on Aogiri, intent on capturing his prey.

Leviathan growled before she quickly shot a burst of water directly in front of the Houndoom, not wanting him to get any closer to her trainer. Unfortunately, it also cut off Aogiri's path, not that he could have kept going forward with the canine in his way.

Aogiri took the forced stop as an opportunity to kick the whip off his ankle. "Okay, Poochy, walk's over." Instantly he turned and jumped over the railing, landing on top of his outstretched Feraligatr's head. "Let's go, Levi!"

Matsubusa grit his teeth, face red at the constant references to him being a dog. He quickly recoiled his whip before sending it after Aogiri again with a resounding _snap_. " _Bastard_!"

 Aogiri was ready for the whip this time and moved his arm out to intercept it. He flinched as the leather slapped against his skin and tightly coiled around it. He could imagine a smug grin appearing on the masked man's face, only to disappear once the pirate gave a sharp _yank_ of his strong arm.

Matsubusa gasped as he once again went tumbling, this time towards the pirate. As he realized that he was getting close to Aogiri, he flailed to try and regain control. " _Stop_ -!"

There was no chance to reason with the leader of Team Aqua as he reeled in his catch of the day. Even while balancing Mr. Ubukata in one arm, he was still strong enough to pull Matsubusa close enough that he could bend down and grin in the other man's masked face. "Key tip, Masky - when going fishing, always be prepared for whatever snags your line to have the muscle to yank _back_."

Matsubusa's eyes widened as he gawked up at Aogiri, his breathing hitching. He never realized how tall the other man was, or how muscular. It was enough to take his breath away as the pirate seemingly towered over him. "Y-you..."

Aogiri smirked, sensing the other leader's intimidation. "Now why don't you and your little pals run along and rethink this whole killing people thing."

Both the smirk and the condescending attitude was enough to startle Matsubusa out of the pirate's spell. A surge of anger flooded him and, wordlessly, he lifted his other hand to hold it out to the side. Clenching his hand, his fingers pressed in to the metal trigger against his palm that was hidden by his gloves. An audible _shink_ issued as three blades burst out of his gloves around his knuckles, revealing the tri-blade retractable switchblade he had hidden there.

Aogiri's eyes bugged out at the sight of such a deadly, unspoken threat, and instantly cast Matsubusa as far away from him as he could with one hand.

Matsubusa yelped as he stumbled backwards and fell unceremoniously on his rump. He flinched, then glared up at the pirate. "Bastard!"

"Careful where you point those things," Aogiri said. Though he tried to regain his cocky demeanor, a slight tremor in his voice gave away that the presence of the blades so close to him had shaken him up.

Matsubusa paused before he stood up, a smug smirk appearing on his face. "Careful sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

Aogiri shrugged. "Well, if you feel that way about it, I guess I'll just take my ball and go home." He moved lower on Leviathan's back to take a hold of the Feraligatr's harness. "Let's ride, Levi!"

Matsubusa paused at that before his eyes widened. "W-wait, you-!"

Leviathan let out a snort before she charged forward, lifting herself up on her legs as she dashed away from the redhead and his Houndoom at surprising speeds.

"Yeehaw!" Aogiri shouted before throwing a grin over his shoulder. "Later, Masky!"

"You _bastard_!" Matsubusa shrieked before he whirled to his Houndoom. "Dante, get-!"

"Leader!" Courtney said through her headset. The unusual sharpness of her tone froze Matsubusa dead in his tracks. "Police ETA five minutes!"

Matsubusa jerked at that, freezing solid. He hesitated, glancing after the fleeing Aogiri, before he grit his teeth. As much as it pained him, he had no choice - his team was his higher priority. "Mission abort! Leave the bastards here, everyone get _out_! _Now_!"

Tabitha spat out a curse as he heard the order and reluctantly recalled Burst before a blast of mud could hit her. He pointed menacingly at Ushio. "This isn't over."

"Hah! Guess that's _our_ cue to get goin' too, eh?" Ushio said with a laugh, puffing his chest out.

Kagari eyed Ushio before she glanced over to Homura, her expression tight. The man skid to a stop in the middle of an attack, putting some distance between him and Shelly. He glanced over to Kagari and nodded, who in turn raised her hand and gestured to the Magma grunts. " _Move out_!" she barked, her voice booming.

Shelly blew Homura a kiss before they went their separate ways. "Let's finish our dance another time, bird boy~!"

Homura silently shot Shelly a look before he hurried for the exit, taking up the flank as the grunts fled through the door and in to the night at their leader's orders. He made a swift gesture to Courtney to follow ahead as he made certain everyone else had fled, clearly intending on making sure he was the last to leave the building.

Matt grunted before he started running after the rest of his team, panting a bit from the effort. "If we're going to keep doing stuff like this, I need to start bringing a scooter or something!"

By the time the police arrived, both Team Magma and Team Aqua had fled the premises, leaving only questions and confusion behind them. As Matsubusa and his team disappeared in to the night, Team Aqua gathered on to their boats docked nearby and quickly took to the open waters before they could be stopped. Once far enough away from the dock and the shrieking sirens, the assembled Aqua grunts let out a hearty cheer amongst themselves as they assembled around their captain and his prize - Mr. Ubukata.

"I can't believe that actually friggin' worked!" Ushio said as he clenched his fists, quivering with excitement before he lifted them upwards in triumph. "That - was - friggin' - _awesome_!"

Shelly pumped her first in the air, masterfully hiding the urge to wince from her injuries. " _We're_ awesome!"

"That was perfect, mates!" Aogiri shouted as he grinned at the large crew around him. "Once we're done here, we're all celebrating a fine first outing of the new and improved Team Aqua!"

The rest of the people on the ship cheered heartily, especially the admins, leaving Ubukata awkwardly staring at his strangely rowdy saviors as they exchanged bumped fists and elbows.

Izumi grinned as she approached the other admins and her captain, taking off her electronic earpiece. "The police are busy looking for Team Magma, so we won't have any problems putting some distance between us and _them_."

"Perfect," Aogiri said before turning his head to Mr. Ubukata. "Now all that's left is to see it that this guy gets someplace nice and safe."

Mr. Ubukata jumped as the attention returned to him before his expression flooded with relief. "I-I don't know how to thank you. You saved me from those maniacs..."

"I can't believe ya actually _fought_ that guy yourself!" Ushio said as he smacked Shelly's back. "That took _balls_ , girlie!"

Normally Shelly could take one of the strong friendly slaps with only a step or two, but this time she crashed to the floor, biting back a cry through only sheer stubborn will.

Ushio paused and stared down at Shelly, having the good grace to look sheepish. "Er. Ooops?"

"Balls _and_ bruises, apparently," Izumi said, quirking an eyebrow.

Matt made his way towards the cabins. "I'll get the aspirin and first aid spray."

Shelly forced out a laugh through gritted teeth as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. "If you think that's bad, you should see the other guy."

"Oh, I'm sure he's _black and blue_ under that _black and red_ ," Izumi said as she quirked an eyebrow. "I'm just surprised he agreed to it, rather than just trying to shoot you like Mister Industrial Waste over there."

Shelly moved carefully as she returned to her feet and dusted herself off. "It's not these jokers' style. Remember that warehouse fire we stumbled into? They did it when they were being fumigated and completely empty, and they made sure the fire couldn't spread past their targets. They just go for the assholes the law can't catch."

"Speaking of which..." Aogiri regarded Mr. Ubukata. "If I were you, I'd be reevaluating my life choices right about now with someone like Team Magma out for your blood."

Mr. Ubukata began to sweat again and he laughed nervously. "Y-yes, I'll... certainly make the police aware of the situation, at the very least. People like them can't simply go around accusing people as they see fit, and trying to destroy innocent people in their madness."

Aogiri stared at Mr. Ubukata for a moment before he burst out laughing. It wasn't long before the rest of the crew joined in, even Shelly who winced after laughing a little too hard. "You know, I agree." He leaned in close, wrapping his arm around Ubukata's shoulders. "Any asshole that exploits and destroys innocent people needs to rot in prison for the rest of their days and hope the police can keep his filthy ass safe from the people that want him six feet under."

Mr. Ubukata went completely pale as he stared at Aogiri, his jaw dropping as it slowly dawned on him that he wasn't nearly as home free as he had thought.

"Now I know what you're thinking," Aogiri said with a finger in the air. "The police station must be empty so late at night with all the cops out here cleaning up the mess we made." His the curve of his smile turned sharp as a scythe. "Fortunately, we've got a bit of experience with hauling trash out of our ocean."

Leviathan leaned over Aogiri as she gave a similar smile to Mr. Ubukata, all of her teeth glittering in the light. Mr. Ubukata stared at both her and Aogiri before glancing around the ship, seeing similar expressions on everyone assembled.

Mr. Ubukata swallowed hard before he cringed back, his relief completely turned to dread.


	6. Chapter 6

"-the much awaited trial of Mr. Ubukata finally begins today, amid much controversy," the black-haired man from the previous news cast said, large screens directly behind the desk displaying scenes of a courthouse. The man was Kyouhei Hirayama, part of a rather well-known duo of reporters in Hoenn. "Protestors gather outside the courthouse, some in support of Mr. Ubukata and what they consider to be an unfair trial as well as those protesting for the victims of last month's horrific toxic waste spill that took many lives and disfigured many more."

His co-anchor, the red-headed female with sharp eyes, had an intense expression on her face as she addressed the audience. She was the other half of the duo, Enmako Arakawa. "Of course, vigilante tactics aside, the evidence that has recently appeared anonymously online and on all major news outlets is rather damning for Ubukata and anyone else who still tries to maintain that his company had nothing to do with the spill."

"Mr. Ubukata's lawyer has gone on record saying that any and all evidence obtained through such anonymous means must be called in to question, especially if said evidence may in fact have come from one of the two vigilante teams currently stationed in Hoenn - the infamous Team Magma and the up-and-coming Team Aqua," Kyouhei continued. "Experts believe that this angle will be the primary defense tactic used in today's trial, and there has been much debate as to whether or not evidence obtained outside of police investigations should be considered for legal proceedings."

Enmako lightly tapped the pile of papers on her desk. "Meanwhile online, it seems that the amount of evidence against Ubukata has encouraged some people to step forward and finally speak up about some encounters they had with both his company and him personally. These alleged incidents range anywhere from illegal dumping, bribing politicians, Pokémon smuggling, and more."

"As a result, all eyes are on the trial and its proceedings," the male newscaster said as he folded his hands together, resting them on the desk. An image flickered on the screen of Mr. Ubukata as he sat at his desk within the courtroom, nervously talking to his lawyer, a man with thick glasses beside him. "One thing experts agree on - this will be a long and troubled trial. Regardless of the outcome, it is expected that-"

A loud crash followed by the sounds of screaming startled Kyouhei, cracking his professional demeanor as he nearly fell out of his seat and whirled to stare at the screens behind them in confusion.

The camera shifted to the doorway to the courtroom as the cameraman turned to the source of the sound. The front doors to the courtroom had been blown wide open, wood shrapnel scattered across the floor. While thankfully no one was injured in the explosion, no one had much time to relax as men and women in the tell-tale uniforms of Team Magma burst in to the room, their faces obstructed by black cloth masks covering the lower parts of their faces.

Enmako whirled around, stammering for a moment before she recovered herself. "It's Team Magma! They've broken in to the court room!"

As the men and women attacked the security officers, another individual entered the room - Homura. As the camera focused on his black mask, Homura focused on Mr. Ubukata as he gawked towards them with a horrified face. Homura locked eyes with his target before he drew his gun, pulling it out of its sheath at his side. Turning the gun on Mr. Ubukata, he aimed directly at the terrified man's forehead and held it there for several moments. Then, Homura shifted the gun ever so slightly and fired, missing Mr. Ubukata as the bullet lodged itself in the far wall.

Despite the bullet missing, Mr. Ubukata let out an unearthly scream before he collapsed to the ground, fainting. As the target collapsed on the ground, Homura turned swiftly on his heels and walked back out through the entryway his team had made. As he left, the other grunts quickly followed suit and Team Magma left the courtroom in shambles as both staff and audience alike scrambled about in pure chaos.

The television turned off with an audible click as Izumi leaned back heavily in her chair, causing it to squeak. She let out a sigh before turning her head to glance over towards Shelly, the redhead leaning against the far wall. "Well, looks like your bird boy didn't shoot him after all. Guess I lost."

Shelly held out her hand with a flourish, practically radiating with pride. "I told you the temptation to let that bastard live while wallowing in his own piss stained pants in jail would be too much for them."

"I still can't believe they friggin' broke in to a _courtroom_ ," Ushio said as he crossed his arms, hunching forward as he stared at the television screen, then to Aogiri. " _A friggin' courtroom_!"

Aogiri chuckled as he leaned back in his seat. "Masky and his team have balls, no doubt about it. They're hardcore."

"They probably felt they had to, after how badly we humiliated them," Izumi said as she rocked slightly in her chair. "If only to try and get the last 'shot' in."

Matt sighed and shook his head as he brushed away some fly hairs peeking out from his bandana. "It's pretty pointless if you ask me. After all the damning evidence we leaked out about that slug, he couldn't buy his way out of a guilty verdict with all the money in Asia put together. Kind of makes me wonder what kind of psychos we're dealing with here that they feel they need to make a pointlessly violent statement like that for the sake of their image."

* * *

Matsubusa hunched forward, focused on his task. Holding his chopsticks with one hand, he very carefully scooped up a dollop of wasabi from the large sushi tray on the table before taking it over to his small cup he had requested. Filling the small cup with soy sauce, he proceeded to mix the wasabi in to the deep brown liquid, swirling his chopsticks around and around. He was quite focused on his task, mixing together the two condiments until they blended together to his satisfaction, then straightened up. With a self-satisfied smirk, he lifted his head just in time to see Homura staring directly at him, his expression deadpan. Matsubusa jumped before he narrowed his eyes. "...W-what?!"

"...Nothing," Homura said before he averted his gaze, looking down at the fish-shaped tray before them, filled with pieces of sushi of all shapes and sizes. "Nothing at all."

"Homura is being picky again," Courtney said as she crumbled up bits of bacon from her plate and sprinkled it on a piece of sushi – tamago sushi, made with scrambled eggs instead of fish.

Tabitha decimated many of the salmon and hamachi on the tray, savoring each bite with pleasurable noises. "Mmm... there's nothing like perfectly prepared sushi after a hard day's work."

"I agree," Kagari said as she selected her own pieces, primarily going after the kanpyo sushi and the bright-orange tobiko sushi – sweet squash and flying fish roe respectively.

Matsubusa let out a small sound as he surveyed the tray before singling out a tamago sushi, swiping it quickly before Courtney could snatch it herself. He shot his admin a sour look as he placed the scrambled eggs and rice in his little bowl, allowing it to soak up the sauce. "Keep your bacon on _your_ portion."

Courtney eyed the sushi marinating in Matsubusa's special bowl of sauce. "Eggs need bacon."

Matsubusa moved his chopsticks to shield his piece of sushi, blocking it from Courtney. "Not on sushi, it doesn't!"

"You're a _grown man_ ," Homura said, exasperated. "Leave the scrambled eggs to Courtney and eat something that has actual _fish_ in it." He moved his chopsticks to pick up a piece of maguro sushi, the ever staple tuna option, and held it towards Matsubusa.

Matsubusa wrinkled his nose at the tuna sushi, then gingerly picked up the sushi that had been marinating in his little cup. "...I'm a grown man, so I can eat what I want." To emphasize the point, he popped the piece of scrambled egg sushi in his mouth and made a great show of chewing it.

Tabitha gestured to the tray with his chopsticks. "Try the salmon. It's soooo good!" He snatched another one for himself and popped it into his mouth whole, practically moaning in pleasure.

Homura sighed before he ate the piece he had selected. "Salmon, tuna, yellowtail, _I don't care_. Just eat _something_ other than _scrambled eggs_."

"Now, now, I'm sure Matsubusa is enjoying his sushi just as much as everyone else," Kagari said, lightly, before she turned to the redhead with a smile. "If you're looking for something sweet, you could try the octopus."

Matsubusa made a non-committal response, looking around the plate of assorted bits of sushi before finding another piece of tamago sushi that Courtney hadn't confiscated for herself. He swiftly snatched it before turning to stick his tongue out at Homura.

Tabitha looked sideways at Homura and muttered under his breath. "How old is he again? I forget."

Homura's cheek twitched as he stared at Matsubusa before he swiftly jabbed his chopsticks in to the wasabi, coating the tip rather heavily with it before he swiped the condiment directly on to Matsubusa's tongue.

Matsubusa jerked his tongue back in his mouth instinctively, then immediately regretted it as it brought the wasabi with it. Matsubusa clasped his hands over his mouth, the wasabi assaulting his senses with a harsh burning sensation and causing his eyes to water.

"Homura 1, Matsubusa 0," Courtney said before she took a bite of sushi that was more bacon than anything else.

Matsubusa waved his hands before he reached up to cover his eyes, the burning going up to his nose. All he could do was let out a whine as the wasabi ran its course, then shot Homura a furious teary-eyed glare before he scooped up a sizeable helping of wasabi himself and dove to try and shove the chopsticks in Homura's mouth.

Homura easily grabbed the hand holding the chopsticks, carefully keeping it away from his mouth as he held Matsubusa back. "Really, now?"

Tabitha leaned on one arm as he watched Matsubusa and Homura struggle with the wasabi-coated chopsticks. "You do know people are staring at us, right?"

"No more than usual," Kagari said, with a smile. "Certainly no more than the looks Courtney's getting for her plate of bacon."

"Bacon got more looks," Courtney remarked before crumpling up another slice of bacon to garnish more sushi.

Matsubusa put more of his weight in to the assault, trying to overcome Homura's grip without much success. "Homurraaaaaa...!"

"Just kiss him directly," Courtney said. "It'd be easier than trying for another indirect one by sharing chopsticks."

Matsubusa jerked at that, his eyes widening. He whirled to stare at Courtney, his face turning solid red. " _What-_!?"

Homura took advantage of Matsubusa's distraction to direct the redhead's chopsticks in to his own mouth, turning his wasabi retaliation against himself. As Matsubusa squeaked and jerked back, dropping his chopsticks as he covered his mouth, Homura turned to give Courtney a flat look. "You just want to distract Matsubusa so you can have all the tamago for yourself."

Courtney never broke eye contact with Homura even as she methodically snatched up every bit of sushi covered in egg. "What makes you say that?"

"Call it a hunch." Homura said, blandly.

* * *

"-Thank you all for being here tonight. Tonight's topic for our panelists - the sudden development in the Ubukata trial," Kyouhei said as both he, his co-anchor, and several other individuals sat at the large crescent desk in their studio. "For those of you just turning in, the Ubukata trial had been scheduled to start today, only to be interrupted by masked gunmen breaking in to the courthouse. Developments took an even more outrageous turn when Mr. Ubukata then accepted a plea deal from the police, putting an end to the trial all-together," the man turned to the person sitting directly beside him, a stern-faced woman in a pink suit. "Judge, we'll start with you. Many critics are questioning the legitimacy of this outcome, as Mr. Ubukata was surely motivated by personal safety. Do you feel that Mr. Ubukata should have sought police protection rather than-"

"Oh, yes," the judge said, wrinkling her nose with disgust. "Because they've done such a wonderful job so far, haven't they?" The woman shook her head. "Five masked individuals, including one carrying a _gun_ , break in to the courthouse _in broad daylight_ specifically to target the defendant, and then escape arrest. Quite frankly, the entire police force should be _ashamed_ -"

Homura closed his Pokédex with a flick of his wrist, a ghost of a smirk making its presence known on his face. He pocketed the device before he picked up his drink, a non-alcoholic cooler, and reclined in the large sofa against the wall. He glanced over to the karaoke stage, where Tabitha was making his way to the microphone, before glancing about the room. It was a private karaoke room, securing the Team Magma admins and their leader from prying eyes - and listening ears. He could never be too careful, as there was always a possibility of someone saying something they shouldn't – a slip of the tongue.

Though, his co-workers didn't seem all that able to discuss much of anything at that point.

"Hooomuuuuraaaaaaa."

Homura ignored the whining voice in his ear, even though he knew that it was a luxury that he didn't actually have. He rolled his eyes when Matsubusa suddenly moved closer, throwing himself on the other man and spooning his side as he wrapped his arms around Homura's left arm.

"Hooomuuuuraaa, stop iiignoooring meeee!" Matsubusa whined, his cheeks tinted.

"What do you want now, you lush?" Homura asked, his tone weary.

"I am _not_ a lush!" Matsubusa snapped, cheeks puffing in a sulk. " _You're_ a lush!"

"I'm not drinking," Homura said as he sipped his cooler, arching an eyebrow. "And you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk, neither!" Matsubusa said, with a huff. "I'm _intoxicated_."

"That you are," Homura said, glancing at Matsubusa as the man continued to tug on his arm. "My arm won't come off, no matter how much you pull."

"It's soooo rude!" Matsubusa said, scowling. "I was talking to you and you just pull out your Pokédex and, and, and that's sooooo rude!"

"Do you even remember what you were talking about?" Homura asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, I don't!" Matsubusa said, with great authority in his tone.

"That's what I thought," Homura said as he turned his attention to Tabitha. He set down his drink before moving his left hand over to poke Matsubusa in the forehead, causing the redhead to squeak before he fell backwards on to the sofa in a crumbled heap. "You _lush_."

"Ah hah!" Tabitha suddenly shouted as he loomed over the karaoke machine malevolently. "I have commandeered the next dozen songs from this device _and none of you can stop me_!" He broke off into maniacal laughter until he realized he missed his first song cue. He cut off his own mirth with a yelp before he tried to catch up with the song, only to ad lib half the words anyway.

Kagari giggled as she reclined in her chair, crossing her arms as she watched Tabitha. Her own face was slightly rosy, with the source being her own alcoholic beverage – a candy drink in a bottle that she swirled about lazily. She glanced over to Homura, her smile widening. "It seems we've had nothing but success today."

Homura grunted. "All we're doing is cleaning up the mess those idiots made."

"D-d-d-don't get me started!" Matsubusa snapped as he raised his fists in to the air. "Don't get me started, don't get me started, _don't get me started_!"

Courtney suddenly burst into loud sobs, drawing the others' attention to her staring at her Pokédex with tears streaming down her face. " _Noooooo_!"

While Matsubusa fell off of the sofa in a yelp, neither Kagari nor Homura seemed too surprised by Courtney's outbursts as they both glanced in her direction.

"What happened, honey?" Kagari asked. "Did someone kill your favorite character again?"

"Worse!" Courtney bawled as she wiped at her face. "They sunk my ship! _Whyyyyyyyyy_?"

Homura rolled his eyes as he sipped his cooler. "Aren't you just going to ignore them and keep 'shipping' anyway?"

"You don't understand!" Courtney snapped, her eyes brimming with angry tears. "My babes were _perfection_! Absolute perfection!"

"There, there," Kagari said as she reached over to pat Courtney's head. "Perhaps they're simply ship-teasing?"

Courtney grabbed the collar of Kagari's shirt and looked intently into the other woman's eyes. "She doesn't deserve him! She's a selfish bitch who put him through hell and she doesn't deserve him at all!"

Before Kagari could respond, Courtney let out a shrill whine and sobbed grossly against her chest.

Kagari stared down at Courtney before she began rubbing her back soothingly, then offered Homura a helpless smile. "There, there. I'm sure someone will write some fanfiction about it."

Tabitha stopped his singing and wrung his hands together. "Well then, it seems my time has come. I shall plot a perfect scheme and sink that wrong ship and dredge Courtney's ship from the depths!"

Courtney immediately sat up, utterly beaming. "Yes! We can still make them change their mind! I'll start an online petition!" She scrambled for her Pokédex, practically quaking with enthusiasm even as her cheeks were still wet with tears.

"I know!" Tabitha said. "Once we have a petition, we'll fill it with fan art and mail it to everyone until the whole world knows that there is only one true ship!"

"Do you even _know_ what she's talking about?" Homura asked, with a heavy sigh as he reached over to take Courtney's Pokédex out of her hands.

Tabitha pumped his fist into the air triumphantly, a huge grin on his face. "I have _no_ idea!"

Homura and Kagari glanced to each other again, sharing a long suffering look.

Courtney stared at the air where her Pokédex used to be then started rooting around for paper and drawing utensils. "Doujinshi... doujinshi..."

"But that won't stop the great Tabitha!" Tabitha shouted before laughing. "Together we shall conquer the world of fandom and all the ships will be mine!"

"This is inexcusable!" Matsubusa yelled as he was still sprawled out on his back on the floor. He lifted his hands upwards, clenching his fists. "Ships can't just be sunk indiscriminately! Think of the pollutants!"

"Exactly!" Tabitha said grandly. "Think of the children and the Pokémon and the seagulls!"

"Get up off the floor," Homura said as he moved his foot to nudge Matsubusa's side, before he turned to Courtney. "Courtney, why don't you try teaching Tabitha that one theme song you keep as your ringtone? Super Sailor Warrior Lunatone?"

"It's _Soldier_!" Courtney shouted, her face turning red with anger. "Super Sailor Soldier Lunatone!"

"Yes, that one," Homura said, blandly. "Tabitha was trying to sing it and he messed up all the words."

Tabitha blinked. "I did?"

"Probably." Homura said.

Courtney gasped, her eyes widening to their fullest. Instantly she was on her feet, swaying a bit for a moment, before she stormed over to Tabitha. "How could you ruin the most iconic theme song of all time?" She snatched the microphone from her comrade's hand. "It goes like _this!_ "

Tabitha blinked and looked at the screen where a heavy metal band was playing a harsh tune with lyrics on the screen that weren't exactly kid friendly, and certainly had nothing to do with what Courtney was singing. "Hey... I don't think that's the right song."

"Shut up!" Courtney snapped, sulking. "Super Sailor Soldier Lunatone transcends all karaoke songs everywhere, every time, all the time."

Homura watched as Courtney and Homura drunkenly bickered over the song, then sighed and turned back to Kagari. " _Honestly_ , you're the only one that doesn't completely fall apart when you drink."

Kagari giggled. "You'd probably enjoy yourself more if you'd have something to drink, too."

"There is absolutely no way I can babysit all these drunks without being sober," Homura said, with a shake of his head. He paused and nudged Matsubusa again with his foot. "Hey."

Matsubusa made an incoherent noise as he rolled over, curling up in to a ball before he let out a soft sigh.

 "Don't sleep on the floor." Homura said as he nudged the redhead again.

Matsubusa grunted before he groggily opened his eyes to glare at Homura, then pointed at him. "You're not the boss of me!"

Homura stared at Matsubusa, his expression unimpressed, before he moved his foot to poke at the redhead again. "Get up."

"No!" Matsubusa said as he clenched his fists and shook them. "You're not the boss, I'm the boss! If I want to eat tamago sushi and drink sake and then sleep on the floor, _that's what I'm going to do_!"

"The floor is filthy," Homura said as he nudged Matsubusa again, despite his squeaking protests. "Get up."

"No, _you_ get up!" Matsubusa snapped, even as he sat up, propping himself up with his hands.

"I _am_ up," Homura said. "If you don't get up, I'm going to call the night over and take you home."

"The night's over when I _say_ it's over!" Matsubusa howled, standing up the rest of the way as he glared furiously at Homura. "No one tells the great _Matsubusa_ when it's over!"

Homura dusted Matsubusa off, not commenting on the fact that the redhead still obeyed his personal assistant despite his protests. "If you're tired, I can take you home, but don't sleep on the floor."

"I wasn't tired, I was simply closing my eyes!" Matsubusa retorted before he flopped down on the sofa. He paused before he glanced around the room, furrowing his brow. "Are we all out of sake...?"

"The sake is mine!" Tabitha shouted as he moved to where he hoarded all of the bottles, empty or otherwise, behind one of the speakers. "I have claimed the world of sake for me and me alone!" He laughed wickedly as he held up two bottles, not caring that one only had a few drops in it and the other was stuffed with dirty napkins.

 " _Insubordination_!" Matsubusa thundered as he glared at Tabitha.

Tabitha pointed one of the bottles at Matsubusa. "Insu... suba... what you said!"

"Here, drink, now," Homura said as he placed an unopened bottle of water in Matsubusa's hands, startling the redhead out of his anger. He then turned to Tabitha and held out another bottle of water. "You forgot some. Here, it's hiding in this bottle of water."

Tabitha stared at the bottle before he snatched it up, dropping the others to the floor. Fortunately the bottles were too sturdy to break when hitting the carpet. "Mine! It's all mine!"

"Drink it quickly before it escapes," Homura said, then turned to Courtney and held out his final bottle of water. "I bet you can't drink all of this water before Tabitha and Matsubusa."

Courtney stared at the bottle and then Homura. For a moment, she was almost her usual deadpan self, then she started giggling with a faint blush on her cheeks. "That reminds me of this great fanfic I just read! I need to give you the link! You'll love it! It's the most amazing thing ever!"

 "Yes, yes, of course," Homura said as he waved the bottle about until Courtney took it from him. "Send me the link later."

"Hm, it looks like we're getting ready to call it a night," Kagari said, before she stood up and stretched with a sigh, raising her arms high above her head before crossing them again. "Shall I get the limo?"

"Please," Homura said, glancing to Kagari with an exhausted expression. "Then we'll see if we can get them to the limo before they cause a scene."

"I claim the front seat!" Tabitha shouted as he held up a now half empty bottle of water in the air.

"Tabitha, it's a limo," Homura said, glancing to watch Kagari as she left the room and closed the door behind her before he returned his attention to the other man. "No one rides in the front but the driver."

Tabitha gasped at Homura, his eyes widening incredulously for a moment as though the news was groundbreaking. "Then... then I claim the back seat!"

"They're _all_ backseats." Homura said, dryly.

Tabitha paused, his face scrunching up, as his drunken mind struggled to cope with this news. "Then... uh... then I claim... I claim..."

Homura picked up another bottle of water and held it out to Tabitha. "This bottle of water."

Tabitha's eyes lit up as he snatched the bottle and thrust it high into the air. " _This bottle of water_!"

"Drink it quickly, before someone takes it," Homura advised the other man.

Tabitha nodded sagely before he began chugging the water with gusto.

"Homuuuraaa... no fair!" Matsubusa whined as he tugged on his personal assistant's arm. "I'm the leader! I should be getting the bottled water!"

"No!" Courtney snapped. "Matsubusa and land is OTP!"

Matsubusa's eyes widened and he seemed about to agree before Homura swiftly opened up another bottle of water and shoved it in his mouth. The redhead choked before he grasped the bottle and began to drink it, staring up at his personal assistant.

"Noooooo!" Courtney wailed. "My ship is sinking!"

"Of course they are 'OTP'," Homura said. "But Matsubusa needs to make land jealous by drinking water, otherwise it will take him for granted."

Courtney blinked a few times then brightened, satisfied with that answer. "Of course!"

"Just the same," Homura said as he extended Courtney a bottle of her own. "It's best if you helped finish off the rest, before the water gets any funny ideas about how cute Matsubusa is."

Courtney stared at the bottle for a moment before taking it. "You mean like how you were flirting with that girl from Team Aqua? It was cute."

Homura jerked at that, his eyes widening as he stared at Courtney. His face quickly turned dark red as he looked away. "D-d-don't be ridiculous! We weren't _flirting_ , we were _fighting_!"

Courtney pointed dramatically at Homura, her finger hovering an inch from his nose. "It was black romance at its finest! I ship it!"

Homura bristled as he glared at Courtney, his face solid red. "Don't apply shipping to real people!"

 "Too late!" Country shouted, waving her arms about. "This ship will sail! OTP 5 EVA!"

Matsubusa stared at Courtney and Homura for a moment before realization seemed to dawn - somehow. His shock quickly turned to outrage as he stood up. " _I forbid it_! You are not allowed on a ship, Homura!"

"You can't just-," Homura began before he whirled to Matsubusa, his face turning even more red. " _I'm not on a ship_!"

Tabitha looked up from his mostly empty bottle of water. "Wait, is this about that redhead you were saying has a nice-"

Homura swiftly placed his hand over Tabitha's mouth. "-Right hook? No! No, it's not!"

Courtney folded her arms across her chest and nodded sagely. "BDSM will always win the day. You just gotta fight to see who tops."

Homura's cheek twitched. "It's not BDSM, it's beating the shit out of each other!"

Courtney stared at Homura then gasped. "What?" Tears immediately started brimming in her eyes. "Oh, that's right! She beat you to a bloody pulp and you couldn't get out of bed for over a day afterward and you poor baby _let me love you_!" Before the purple haired man could even think of dodging, she was on him, clinging tightly as she cried into his chest. "Shh now, no tears, mama will protect you now."

 Homura grit his teeth as he tried to gently remove the drunken woman off of him. "Courtney, it's been over a _month_. I'm-" The personal assistant yelped when suddenly Matsubusa threw him at Homura, wrapping his arms around the purple man's chest and clinging to him tightly as he craned his head around to glare at Courtney.

"No! Homura is _my_ personal assistant! _Mine_!" the redhead barked. "You can't have him!"

Courtney regarded Matsubusa intently before brightening. "We can share him! We'll be Homura's OT3!"

Homura paused at that before he sighed heavily, allowing his arms to drop to his sides. As irritating as it was, it was an improvement over Courtney trying to ship him with Shelly. "Fine. We're OT3."

"Yay!" Courtney squealed as she squeezed Homura harder.

Matsubusa seemed less thrilled, grumbling under his breath. All the same, he tightened his grip around Homura's waist as he stared hard at Courtney.

Courtney grinned as she wrapped one arm around Matsubusa and snuggled against the redhead. "Magmashipping for life!"

At that moment, the door opened as Kagari returned. She had been about to say something when she saw Homura standing with both Courtney and Matsubusa clinging to him. She opened her mouth, then closed it, before it quirked in to a sly smile. "Do I want to know?"

"No. No, you do not," Homura said, stiffly. He grabbed a hold of Courtney with one hand and Matsubusa with the other before he began to walk towards the door, dragging them both. "First one who lets go is out of the OT3."

"I won't lose!" Matsubusa declared, his hands moving to grasp on to Homura's belt.

Courtney gasped, horrified, and used her free hand to grab Matsubusa's in a vice grip. "Boss!" Her eyes sparkled as she gazed hard into the redhead's eyes. "I'll never let go!"

Kagari covered her mouth with her hand to try and hide the laughter that threatened to escape her. Instead, her eyes simply glittered with amusement as she watched the sullen-faced Homura drag his two drunken charges out of the door and in to the lobby of the karaoke bar with the intention of getting them to the limo as quickly as he could. As she watched them go, she then turned to Tabitha. "I wonder if we should feel left out, hm~?"

"Nah," Tabitha said with a goofy smile. "I'd rather set sail with that fine pirate lass with the blue streak in her hair."

Kagari paused at that, her eyebrows shooting straight up. "What?"

Tabitha hummed cheerfully as he walked out the door with arms full of empty bottles. "That sexy sailor can plant her flag on my plot of land any time."

Kagari stared as she watched Tabitha walk away with a spring in his step before a sly grin appeared on her face. "...Oh _my_."

With great difficulty and quite a few stares, Homura managed to get both Courtney and Matsubusa in to the limo. He was quickly joined by Tabitha and Kagari, the latter having a rather large smile on her face. When Homura shot her a questioning look, he only got a knowing wink in response - a promise to tell him later. It was good enough for the personal assistant, as he had enough to attend to as it was.

After giving the driver directions, Homura spent the next hour seeing each of his coworkers safely to their destinations - their homes. At each stop, he locked the others inside the limo and personally escorted his coworkers - even Kagari, who wasn't nearly in need of the service as the others - before returning to the limo and repeating the process for the next one. First Tabitha, then Courtney, followed by Kagari, and Matsubusa brought up the final stop.

Helping Matsubusa up the steps to his condo, Homura shouldered most of the weight as the redhead had already begun to nod off in the limo - and now against his personal assistant. Swiping his Pokédex against the keypad, the door opened with a 'swish' to reveal the sparse interior of Matsubusa's apartment. As Homura dragged the leader of Team Magma inside, he was promptly greeted by Dante, the Houndoom bouncing over to the door with a spring in his step and a wag of his tail.

"Keep an eye on him, alright?" Homura said, even though he knew that Dante would do it even without being asked. "As usual, the lush had more than he could handle."

Dante's ears drooped as he examined Matsubusa, his large expressive red eyes overflowing with concern for his trainer. He followed Homura and Matsubusa as the redhead was dragged off to bed.

Homura rested Matsubusa on his bed, pausing to take off the man's shoes and put them by the door. After tucking Matsubusa in, he nodded to Dante before he headed to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Matsubusa. And I'll be making sure to remind you all morning and all afternoon about tonight, so don't even bother trying to pull that 'I don't remember' nonsense like you normally do."

"Gooooodnight, Ho-mu-ra," Matsubusa murmured as he groggily reached up to rub Dante's cheeks, his expression affectionate.

"...Goodnight, Matsubusa," Homura said before he closed the door, locking it behind him with an audible click.

Dante nuzzled into Matsubusa's touch, his tail wagging vigorously as he enjoyed the attention, though his eyes still held some lingering concern.

Matsubusa sighed as he closed his eyes, moving forward to press his forehead against Dante's neck. His hands slowly slid around the Houndoom's body before going still, the comfort of his bed and Dante's warmth lulling him in to a comfortable and much needed sleep.

Dante snuggled up to Matsubusa, crawling beneath the sheets to join his trainer, and watched over Matsubusa before eventually falling asleep himself.

Matsubusa was comfortable, warm, and safe. That was why when a strangely familiar voice spoke to him, he scarcely paid it enough attention to place it.

"Hey."

The voice barely filtered through the haze that had settled over Matsubusa. It wasn't piercing or demanding, instead drifting around him as it mingled with the other sensations and as a result, initially dismissed.

"Hey, you seem pretty comfortable there."

The voice had grown louder, causing the redhead to grimace. It sounded familiar, and yet Matsubusa couldn't identify it. That simple fact was enough to prompt Matsubusa to open his eyes despite how comfortable he was, groggily lifting his head. As he did, he was promptly greeted by the sight of Aogiri's face, hovering right above his own. Matsubusa jerked as his eyes snapped open wide. His hands grasped the bed sheet to either side of him, revealing that he was still on his bed in his room. And yet, for some unfathomable reason, the leader of Team Aqua was looming over top of him, his hands to either side of Matsubusa's head as he crouched directly above the redhead. "Y-you-!?"

Aogiri smirked wickedly as he leaned in close. "Yes, _me_."

Matsubusa's eyes widened as the pirate's face drew close enough that he could feel Aogiri's breath against his skin. Goosebumps formed as a strange sensation formed deep in his belly, spreading through his veins. "W... what are you..."

"You know why," Aogiri said, his voice low and throaty.

Matsubusa stared up at the pirate, his cheeks tinting red. The closeness called to mind the sensations he felt months prior, when Aogiri had pulled him close and leaned over him. The haughty smile, the amused look in his eyes, his powerful presence - all of it had left a lasting impression on the redhead. And at that very moment, that impression was returning a hundredfold. "...I..."

Aogiri coiled a lock of Matsubusa's hair around his finger, the action slow and methodical in front of the redhead's gaze. "This rivalry between us... it isn't just about you and me showing each other who's best, and you know it."

Matsubusa's eyes focused on the slow twirling before they drifted back to Aogiri's face, freezing on the sultry look the pirate was giving him. "J-just... what are you implying!?"

"Don't play dumb," Aogiri said lightly. "It doesn't suit you." He released the hair, letting it fall against Matsubusa's brow. "I saw the way you've been looking at me. I know you noticed how _sexy_ I am."

"D-dumb-!? I'm not-!" Matsubusa began to protest before he stopped, his eyebrows shooting straight up as his face turned solid red. "S-s-sex-!?"

Aogiri's voice dipped lower, the sound rippling through Matsubusa and making the redhead shiver. "Let's stop playing cat and mouse, shall we? I'm here to ravage you senseless."

Matsubusa openly gaped at Aogiri as he struggled to process what he was hearing, before his blush deepened and spread all the way to his ears and down his neck. "Ra... ra... rav...!?"

Aogiri took hold of the top of Matsubusa's changshan and with a sudden motion that sent buttons flying with a rip of torn fabric, he exposed the leader of Team Magma to him. " _Ravage._ "

Matsubusa squeaked as his chest was suddenly exposed so unceremoniously and swiftly brought up his arms to try and shield himself. "Y-y-you... _pirate_!"

Aogiri leaned in close, his hot breath brushing against Matsubusa's cheeks. "You know what pirates do best, don't you? _Pillage_."

"Pi... pillage!?" Matsubusa repeated, his voice raising in pitch as a quiver ran through his body. He gasped as Aogiri moved so close, their bare chests touching. As the pirate closed the distance between them, heat surged through the redhead's body. He felt _burning_ hot all over, despite the cool air against his skin. "I-I..."

At some point, Aogiri's clothes vanished, leaving the two men bare against one another. "I plan to pillage and plunder your precious booty until you beg me for more."

Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he trembled. As Aogiri pressed up against him, he squeaked and instinctively grabbed at the man's perfect arms, grasping them tightly. "W-w... wait! I... I don't even know your _name_!"

"That's easy," Aogiri said, the sultry tone feeling like a caress on its own. He leaned in close to whisper into Matsubusa's ear as the redhead trembled in his hot grip. "My name is... _bark!_ "

Matsubusa shivered, closing his eyes as Aogiri drew close while slipping one hand up behind the pirate's head. At the bark, however, he gave a small jerk and snapped his eyes open. Disoriented, he was greeted not by the sight of the pirate but by the fuzzy face of Dante as the Houndoom stared down at him. The redhead jerked, going completely still as his awareness returned. He was curled up around Dante, one leg hooked over the Houndoom while the other cradled the Pokémon's neck. Matsubusa stared at Dante as the Houndoom gave him a puzzled expression, the unspoken question quite visible on his face.

Dante's ears canted back as Matsubusa jerked away from him and he cocked his head slightly, clearly waiting for an explanation for such strange behavior.

Matsubusa's face flushed with embarrassment as he fumbled back, reaching up to brush his bangs away from his sweat-slick brow. As he did, he immediately noticed something else - the hot, uncomfortable erection he was sporting in his nether regions. The redhead paused before he let out a strangled shriek, jumping backwards as if he were trying to escape his hard-on, before falling to the floor in a crumbled heap.

Dante let out a tiny confused whine as he peered over the side of the bed at Matsubusa, growing more worried by the second due to his trainer's odd behavior.

Matsubusa offered no explanation, _couldn't_ offer an explanation as he fumbled to his feet and darted to the bathroom. Without even pausing long enough to take his clothes off, the redhead ran to the shower and turned it on to full blast. He was immediately assaulted by the freezing cold water, his clothes becoming completely soaked as his temperature plummeted. The redhead shivered, his teeth chattering, and he slumped against the wall as the cold water did its duty.

Dante hopped off the bed to pace outside the bathroom and whined again, loud enough to be heard over the water to let Matsubusa know that he was still concerned about what had panicked his trainer so.

Matsubusa listened before he let out a heavy sigh. "I'm... I'm fine. Just... I'm fine."

Dante sat down, somewhat mollified by that answer, but he still waited dutifully for Matsubusa outside of the bathroom.

"T-too much to drink, just... too much to drink," Matsubusa said, more to himself than Dante as he reached up to press his palm against his forehead. "That's all..."

Matsubusa didn't know why such a dream had happened, let alone with _that man_. Quite frankly, he didn't _want_ to know. For his body to even respond in such a way, it was clearly the result of an addled mind. It must have been the alcohol, there was no other answer for it. He would not _accept_ any answer besides that. It defied all logic for him to have a dream about that infuriating pirate, least of all one of such a _nature_. It was nothing more than the alcohol, and both it and the dream would be out of his system soon enough.


	7. Chapter 7

For most of the day, Matsubusa had been in a mood. It was something Homura had pointed out that morning, and again multiple times throughout the day. At one point, the drinking from the night before had been blamed, and the Magma admins had been quick to accept it as the truth. While Matsubusa would normally have protested the implication, this was the first instance where he welcomed it. He preferred a hangover to the truth, without question.

When Team Magma gathered for that night's mission, he had been exceedingly thankful for it. While infiltrating the packing facility to find evidence of supposed smuggling was naturally very important, it also served as a bit of a distraction. He was too busy focusing on his job to even think about what had happened in the early morning - and everyone else was too busy to pry. It served his purposes just fine, while also serving the greater good. Matsubusa couldn't possibly ask for anything better than that.

"I think we're just about done here," Homura said as he surveyed their surroundings. Glancing at every window, nook, and cranny, he kept a sharp eye out for anyone or anything they might encounter - and not just individuals associated with the packing company. "Tech Master, have you finished downloading all the records?"

"I'll be finishing up my second sweep of their systems in less than five minutes," Courtney said over the communication system. "You're good to go."

"Well, then, it sounds like it's mission accomplished," Kagari said, before turning to smile at Matsubusa. "That should improve your mood, Leader."

Matsubusa made a noncommittal grunt. Even with the mask, it was clear that he wasn't looking at any of them.

Tabitha let out a quiet rumble at the back of his throat and turned to Kagari, his voice lowering to a whisper. "And I thought my hangover was bad. At least mine went away hours ago."

Matsubusa shot Tabitha an annoyed look, as the mask allowed him to hear Tabitha just fine. With a huff, he turned sharply on his heels and stormed towards the exit. "We're leaving!"

Tabitha flinched when Matsubusa looked his way, but hurried to keep up. "R-right, Leader!"

Matsubusa flung open the door leading to the central office area, causing it to bang noisily against the wall. He didn't particularly care if anyone heard, especially since they were in the process of leaving. Besides, it got his point across.

As he entered the area, his eyes gazed across the office before settling on the floor in front of him. It was then that he realized something had changed - something was there that hadn't been there when they first arrived. The leader of Team Magma stopped short, staring down at the floor at a large, fluffy-looking object. It looked like a large white body pillow, stretched out on the floor. Hesitating, Matsubusa glanced back to confirm that his admins had seen it as well before he returned his attention to the object. With a frown, Matsubusa approached the pillow before tentatively poking it with his foot, rolling it over.

Airbrushed on the surface of the pillow was a well rendered image of Matsubusa, complete with mask. However, it seemed as though the artist had taken liberties with basic anatomy, as the image of him twisted around on a background of rumpled sheets, presenting both a partially exposed chest through an unbuttoned changshan and a strangely shiny rump wearing frilly pink panties that barely peeked out from pulled down pants. To add insult to injury, cartoonish pink circles like blush had been added to the cheeks of his mask, as well as a speech bubble that pointed to his face. "P-please me gentle, Aqua-senpai~!"

Matsubusa gaped down at the picture, realizing belated that the pillow as in fact a dakimakura. However, that realization paled in comparison to the fact that it was _his_ visage, no matter the liberties taken, sprawled across the pillow. He trembled as he felt a shiver run up his spine, his face turning dark red beneath the mask before he let out a strangled shriek and kicked the pillow as hard as he could, sending it flying across the room. " _Dante_!"

Dante was at his trainer's side in an instant with a sharp bark.

"Burn it!" Matsubusa shrieked as he pointed at the dakimakura. " _Burn it burn it burn it burn it burn it_!"

"Leader!" Homura barked out in alarm, staring at Matsubusa and then the object. "What-" He stopped when he got a view of the artwork on the pillow, in particular the pink underwear and buttocks supposedly representing Matsubusa's own. "What the hell is that-!?"

There wasn't enough time for the admins to get more than a glimpse of the pillow before it exploded into flames from Dante's savage attack. Within seconds, smoke billowed upward to the ceiling, setting off the ear-piercing scream of the fire alarm. Water sprayed down from above, filling the air with steam as the sprinkler system tried valiantly to put out the fire.

Matsubusa yelped, bringing up his arms to shield himself against the sudden downpour of water, without much success. As the alarms continued to shriek, steam mingled upwards with the smoke to flood the area, decreasing visibility exponentially.

Homura stood still, crossing his arms as he gave their leader a flat look. Unlike Matsubusa, his hood provided _some_ protection from the water. " _Brilliant_."

Tabitha groaned and pulled his hood a little further over his head. "Great. So much for getting out unnoticed..."

"We were leaving anyway, so it hardly matters," Kagari said, glancing in the general direction of her coworkers. She couldn't see them through the steam and smoke, and her mask filtered the air so that she wasn't breathing in anything unpleasant. "Let's just maintain radio contact and leave, quickly."

Matsubusa grimaced as he shivered. With no cloak or hood to protect him, he was quickly becoming soaked. As his changshan clung tightly to his body and his hair grew slick, it reminded him of the shower he had taken with his clothes on. Immediately, his already bad mood became considerably worse. "B-bastard... that bastard...!"

Though Matsubusa could hear the footfalls of his admins fade as they left, he continued glaring at the burnt remains of the pillow. He could still make out a few details that had escaped the flames - the edge of the speech bubble, a leg, and part of the fake bedding - not enough to make him order Dante to burn it a second time, but it was enough to keep his anger simmering inside him.

Matsubusa clenched his fists before he let out a growl, turning his head as he prepared to follow his admins and escape the place - and get dry clothes. He swiftly recalled Dante before the Houndoom could get any more soaked by the water and grumbled under his breath. "Bastard-"

Laughter cut Matsubusa off, familiar and biting. "Wow, I knew you'd find my present hot, but I didn't think it'd light your loins on fire like that."

Matsubusa jerked before he whipped around, the voice inciting fury deep inside him. " _You_! You _bastard_!"

Aogiri's grinning face parted the thinning steam, sending Matsubusa a step back as he managed to sneak close to the Team Magma leader before he gave himself away. "Well, if you can't take something like _that_ , you better hope you don't get a fanbase online, Masky. The artists can make kinky stuff that make that pillow look like it was rated G."

Matsubusa jerked back, stepping away from Aogiri to increase the distance from the pirate. "W-what the hell are you even babbling about!?"

Aogiri stepped back, disappearing into the steam. "Funny you find something like that so offensive. You must be _really_ repressed."

Matsubusa jerked as he lost sight of Aogiri in the thick fog, right before his eyes. He tensed and glanced about quickly, trying to find the pirate again without much success. "You... I am not _repressed_! You're a _pervert_!"

"That reaction looked suspiciously strong to me," Aogiri taunted. "Maybe you had thoughts of imitating that pillow already."

"I-i-i-imitate-!?" Matsubusa sputtered, his voice raising in pitch. Even through the mask, his voice sounded high. " _Just what are you thinking_!?"

Aogiri moved quickly, leaving Matsubusa no time to escape as he spooned the leader of Team Magma from behind, showing the redhead how much taller and bulkier he was. "I'm thinking," he said in a low voice that brushed close to Matsubusa's ear, "that you sound like a man who's trying a little _too_ hard to pretend he's not turned on right now."

Matsubusa froze and arched his back, a chill surging up his spine as he felt Aogiri's firm muscles press up against his water-slick back. A blush brighter than the fire Dante had started with the pillow spread across his face and down his neck, and a strangled squeak escaped the redhead before he could stop it.

Aogiri's eyebrows shot up with surprise. He had been teasing, but it seemed that he had hit the mark anyway. He smiled like a Sharpedo smelling blood on the water and slid his arms around Matsubusa's waist. "Now isn't _that_ a telling little sound you just made."

Matsubusa trembled as he felt the arms slip around his waist. Even as his head screamed at him to put an end to it, to call for Homura or even Dante, to put up _some_ kind of resistance, none of the commands could reach his body. Warmth flooded in to foreign areas, conflicting sharply with the chilled dampness of his clothes. Even speaking was difficult, as Matsubusa let out a stream of strangled squeaks and sputters with no coherent words to be heard.

Aogiri felt a rush of power as the leader of Team Magma quaked in his arms, downright _submissive_ to his touch as he began to idly stroke circles on Matsubusa's stomach. "So how long has this been going on?"

Matsubusa couldn't respond except with more stammering and mortified squeaks. If he weren't so frigidly wet, he'd think he was dreaming again. The touch against his skin, rough and firm and yet tender, was leaving blazing trails against the cold flesh. He thought he heard his admin's voices in the mask's communicator, but he couldn't focus on them at all above Aogiri's own voice as it growled in his ear.

Aogiri slowly slid his hand upward, dragging his fingers along wet fabric until he got a good feel of the redhead's chest. "Flatter than I normally go for," he teased, his voice low and breathy, "but I think if you keep making those noises you're going to get me rock hard in no time."

Matsubusa responded with another round of embarrassed sounds, his voice breaking. The redhead standing up on the tips of his toes as his hands instinctively moved to grab Aogiri's - to restrain them or for support, he wasn't sure which. The whole situation was surreal, and he was beginning to feel dizzy as his body reacted in ways that entirely baffled him.

"Uh, bro?" a voice seemed to come from somewhere nearby, causing Matsubusa to freeze. His head whipped around to see Ushio looking at Aogiri  as he stood in a nearby doorway, an awkward expression on his face. "Is this a prank or a porno?"

The sight of Ushio sent chills of a completely different kind through his body and he whirled to shove Aogiri away with a _scream_ , placing both hands on Aogiri's chest and pushing him harshly. " _B-b-b-b-b-bastard_!"

Aogiri stared at the two men, almost dumbfounded, before Matsubusa's indignation sent him into peals of laughter. "I guess I got carried away by Masky getting so into it!" He flashed the redhead a wide grin. "What do you think? Is your underwear feeling a bit too tight right about now?"

" _Bastard_!" Matsubusa shrieked his response at Aogiri, his voice continuously raising in pitch. His face burned red, though it was thankfully hidden from the mask, as he gestured wildly at the pirate. "Bastard bastard bastard bastard bastard bastard bastard bastard bastard bastard _bastard_!"

Aogiri let out a low whistle. "Impressive lung capacity you have there. You called me a bastard eleven times in a single breath."

Matsubusa seethed, sucking down air as he trembled. "Y-you... you _bastard_!"

"I think ya broke 'em, boss," Ushio said as he rubbed the back of his head.

Aogiri cocked his head slightly. "Looks like it." He glanced over at his friend. "Did you get it all recorded?"

Matsubusa jerked at that, his eyebrows shooting straight up. "Rec... recorded-!?"

"Matt's _still_ recordin'," Ushio said as he flashed his captain a thumbs up.

Matsubusa quivered as the feeling of rage intensified. The very idea that the pirate had been taunting him on purpose, specifically to record it and do _Arceus knows what_ with it was enough to cause something to literally snap inside the redhead. With an enraged shriek, he yanked out his whip from beneath his changshan before lashing it at the pirate with one swift motion.

Aogiri's eyes bugged out as he saw the attack coming, and he wound up falling backwards in his attempt to dodge it. He might have reacted sooner if he hadn't been distracted by his moment of triumph, but fortunately he managed to elude the attack, and a second that would have caught him completely off-guard.

Aogiri hadn't even realized that he had dodged it initially, until he felt a burst of air by his face and a sharp cry from Shelly that came far too late. It was then that he saw Homura's foot, the thick boot narrowly missing his face in a powerful kick.

Homura quickly recovered, landing on his feet before he whirled about to face the pirate again, placing himself between Matsubusa and Aogiri. While no one could see his face, the pure fury could be _felt_ by everyone in the room.

"...It looks like your stupid luck kept you from having your head knocked right off your fat neck," Homura growled as he crouched, his hands out to his sides. "Let's see if it can continue to keep it there."

Aogiri hopped back onto his feet and backed away quickly from the two members of Team Magma as he focused on recovering his composure. "Looks like I've done enough victory laps for one round." He flashed Matsubusa a wink as he darted out the door with Ushio right on his heels. "Until next time, Masky!"

"Wait, you _bastard_!" Matsubusa screamed, his whip singing out as it struck at the ground Aogiri had stood on only moments before.

Homura growled and was about to chase after as well, when a sudden female voice cut through their masks - and their anger.

" _Enough_!" Kagari said, her voice containing great authority. "The fire department is on its way, and the police with them! Return to the van immediately!"

Matsubusa paused at that and gripped his whip with both hands. "But that-"

" _Now_!" Kagari barked, her voice piercing over the radio.

Matsubusa grimaced as he glanced to Homura, seeing the personal assistant watching him. The redhead hesitated before he let out a low growl, then quickly hurried towards the exit. "I'm not going to let him get away with this! Understand!?"

"Later," Kagari said. "There will be time enough for that, later."

"I'm going to hold you to that." Matsubusa grumbled.

Homura watched Matsubusa flee before he turned to look in the direction that Aogiri and Ushio had fled. He hadn't arrived to see what precisely had transpired, but it was clear that something _had_ happened. He deeply regretted not returning the very second he noticed Matsubusa hadn't followed - sulking or not, he shouldn't have given the man any 'space' in hopes of easing his mood.

Whatever Aogiri had done, he would pay for it. Homura would make absolutely certain of that.

* * *

The Salty Seadog Pub was lively with the sounds of laughter as Team Aqua went out for a night of spirits and carousing. The place was packed with the now expanded team, but the core members who started it all managed to secure a little table for themselves at the back of the bar.

"Bwa _hah_ , we really had to book it that time!" Ushio said with a laugh before he turned to Aogiri. "That was pretty damn cool how you dodged that asshole's kick, though!" The large man made a swatting gesture in the air. "It just went _woosh_ right by yer face! Kinda disappointed he didn't fall flat on his ass!"

Shelly made a show of rolling her eyes. "Dodge nothing. If Masky didn't have a hissy fit, he'd have gotten knocked out cold."

Ushio paused at that and turned to stare at Shelly. "Really?"

"Nah," Aogiri chuckled over the rim of his mug. In his hand he held his Pokédex, replaying the video Matt captured earlier. "The guy would more likely break his foot on my hard head first."

"Keep in mind who you're talking to," Izumi said as she leaned back in her chair. "I'd trust Shelly's judgment on Bird Boy's kicks, considering she had to weather a few of them herself."

Aogiri paused to consider that. "Okay, maybe a nasty sprain."

"Trust me," Shelly said, leaning back in her seat. "Bird boy kicks like a mule and is twice as stubborn."

Ushio looked thoughtful before his grin returned with full force. "Then that makes it even _funnier_ that Masky flipped his shit and ruined it for Bird Boy!"

Aogiri burst out laughing. "You got that right! Too bad their stupid masks made it impossible to record their faces."

Matt popped off the cap from his bottle of root beer. "If that happened, we'd probably never get your attention at all tonight. What's that, the 20th time you've watched that video so far?"

Aogiri shrugged. "20th, 30th, 50th... Eh, who's counting?"

Ushio paused at that before his expression grew awkward. "Ah, yeah. You were... kinda really gettin' in to that, huh?"

Aogiri let out a breath like laughter through his nose as he kicked back in his seat. "What can I say? I got swept up in the moment. Didn't expect Masky to be into it like that, so I couldn't resist seeing how far he'd let me go."

"I was half-expecting you to shove your hand down his pants," Izumi said before she sipped her fruity drink.

Shelly idly swirled the alcohol around in her bottle. "You know, if you're that hard up, you can always ask out Paula, or any of the newbies that are idolizing you already." She gestured to a few female grunts who quickly looked away when Aogiri glanced towards them.

"Nah," Aogiri said, waving off the suggestion with a gesture. "Not my style to go into one-night stands like that. I'm still waiting for the right gal to hit me right where it counts."

Matt's eyes rolled towards the ceiling. "In the crotch?"

Aogiri snorted a mouthful of beer and rubbed his nose. "Sorry, no spit takes for you tonight."

Matt feigned innocence, but still recorded Aogiri with his Pokédex anyway.

Izumi glanced over to Shelly but said nothing, sipping her drink slowly.

Shelly made a show of arching an eyebrow as she met Izumi's gaze, her expression clearly skeptical.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch Masky flip out again," Aogiri said as he put his headphones in. He wanted to hear the leader of Team Magma's shrieks without disturbing the rest of his team, and without being interrupted from reliving the experience.

The bar faded away as Aogiri found himself once more back in that warehouse, completely in his element drenched in water and dominating Matsubusa. He could still feel the way the redhead's breath caught when he ran his hand along the other man's chest. The water had plastered the clothes to them like a second skin, allowing his fingers to catch Matsubusa's rapid heartbeat. Seeing it again from another perspective only heightened the experience and made the leader of Team Aqua wish that there was no mask in the way. He wondered just what type of expression Matsubusa wore, and what the Team Magma leader's voice sounded like. There was something almost addicting to those squeaks and moans, but the voice changer built in to the mask tainted the experience somewhat.

Aogiri imagined what it would be like if the scenario had gone differently, if he had removed that mask and exposed the leader of Team Magma. Would the other man continue to remain still and unresisting, or would he have fought back? Even if that happened, Aogiri would've seen the other man's face at last. He was dying of curiosity. What did the redhead look like? What was his name?

What did he _really_ sound like when Aogiri's hands were feeling along his hot, unresisting body?

Unthinkingly, Aogiri dragged his teeth along his lower lip as the scene came to its climax, and rewound it before Ushio's voice cut in and destroyed the magic. Next time, he decided to ask his admins to distract Team Magma's to give him more time alone with Matsubusa. If he set up a camera ahead of time, he wouldn't have to worry about Matt watching either and really cut loose. Maybe he would start working on Matsubusa's clothes before the mask came off. Perhaps that way the Team Magma leader would remain submissive and responsive to his attentions before being truly exposed. Maybe the redhead would feel even more uninhibited if the mask remained on the entire time.

Aogiri could see it so vividly, feel Matsubusa's warmth against him. However, the scenario changed from what actually happened to something a little different than he originally anticipated.

"P-please," Matsubusa mewled, his voice still obstructed by the mask but nevertheless filled with need. His hips shifted, brushing back up against the pirate. " _Please_..."

A shiver ran through Aogiri at the thought of Matsubusa grinding up against him, stirring up something hot and powerful inside of him. He imagined returning the favor, pressing his hardness against that supple rear. "Please what?" he asked huskily in the redhead's ear.

Matsubusa shivered in response, arching his back as his head tilted to the side. "I-I can't... I can't take it anymore...! I need you...!"

Aogiri's smile widened as he was only too eager to oblige. He tugged on Matsubusa's pants as he moved in to take a taste of the redhead's newly exposed neck. "Well... since you asked so _nicely_ , how can I say no?"

Reality came crashing down around Aogiri as he realized where his thoughts had taken him. He noticed the other admins staring at him, though he couldn't hear what they were saying through his headphones and the loop of his encounter with Matsubusa. Unfortunately, their expressions were telling enough, as was the intense tightness in his pants that was impossible to ignore.

Mechanically, Aogiri closed his Pokédex and removed his headphones before slamming his head down against the table surface hard. "Shit."

Matt gawked at Aogiri in alarm. "What the hell? What's wrong, Aogiri?"

Izumi arched an eyebrow as she looked down at Aogiri. "Are you okay? That was the creepiest expression I've ever seen on your face."

Ushio leaned forward, confused panic plastered across it. "B-bro!? You need a medic!? We can-" He paused before he glanced over to Shelly, then turned his attention back to Aogiri. "W-we got a medic, bro!"

Shelly remained calm, a lone raised eyebrow punctuating the suspicion in her expression. "Got some new plans for Masky brewing in that head of yours, do you?"

Aogiri didn't answer right away, his face remaining pressed against the table. It pushed his nose painfully against the varnished wood, but he didn't care. He was too distracted by a terrible new revelation. "Shit," he repeated softly. "I have the hots for Masky."

* * *

Dawn had not yet come to Hoenn as Homura made his way to Matsubusa's condominium, the still-slumbering sun hiding just along the horizon. While it was fairly early to most people, it was the typical start to Homura's day. He had to be at his leader's place early in the morning, doing everything from his laundry to cleaning up the place before waking the redhead himself and preparing breakfast. He didn't trust anyone else to do it, least of all Matsubusa himself.

Homura sighed as he stepped out of the elevator, silently walking down the hall to his destination. Admittedly, he had been unnaturally tired that morning, even though he was normally quite the morning person. After the incident with Team Aqua, Matsubusa had acted rather _stressed_ , more so than usual. He refused to talk about what had happened, which only served to confirm Homura's suspicions that something _had_ happened. And that something was entirely Homura's fault - he should have gone to his leader's side sooner.

The fact that none of the other admins had agreed with him was beside the point. Homura knew Matsubusa better than anyone else - it was his _job_ , after all - and he knew that the redhead was hiding something and suffering for it. That fact alone made sleep difficult.

"I'll make him some pancakes," Homura thought as he activated the electronic lock on the door. "That always seems to improve his mood, especially when I let him load them up with garbage-"

Homura lifted his head as he stepped in to the condominium, then stopped short. His eyes settled across the living room in to the kitchen, where he saw Matsubusa huddled at the sink. The sight alone was enough to make him pause, but it was made all the stranger to see Matsubusa wearing a bathrobe tied tightly around his waist and thick rubber gloves that Homura typically used for cleaning.

Homura didn't say anything at first, thus avoiding detection. As he stared at Matsubusa, the answer to the unspoken question soon came to him. He watched as Matsubusa lifted up a soaking wet pair of his silk boxer shorts before promptly dousing it in liquid dish soap before submerging it in the sink once more.

Homura's eyebrows shot straight up as shocked horror finally broke through his confusion. " _What are you doing_!?"

Matsubusa jerked with a yelp, scrambling back away from the sink as he pulled his hands back. He stared at Homura with wide eyes, his expression tired and yet thoroughly mortified. "H-Homura-!"

Homura stormed over to the sink, quickly turning off the water before fishing out the silk underwear despite Matsubusa's protests. "You're doing laundry with _dish soap_!?"

"I-I...!" Matsubusa yelped then quickly looked away, unable to meet Homura's outraged face as his personal assistant held up the soaked silk drawers. "Y-you can't just barge in to people's houses without knocking!"

"Are you out of your _mind_!?" Homura demanded, ignoring Matsubusa's pathetic bluster. "Since when have you ever done laundry anyway!?"

"I-I can do whatever I damn well want!" Matsubusa snarled, though he kept pointedly avoided looking at either his personal assistant or the underwear he held. Instead, he kept his eyes solidly on the floor.

Homura swiftly pulled out the plug in the sink, allowing the soapy water to drain away before he whirled to face Matsubusa again. He lifted up the underwear to shake it at Matsubusa, not caring that his sleeves were becoming soaked. "Do you have _any_ idea what I'm going to have to do to fix this!?"

Matsubusa flinched and shied away from the underwear, his face turning dark red. He gripped the front of his bathrobe, holding it tightly closed as he began to back away from Homura. "I... I..."

Homura paused, his anger momentarily disrupted as he got a good look at Matsubusa's demeanor. He stared at the redhead for several moments before he furrowed his brow. "...Matsubusa."

Matsubusa flinched again, though he stopped retreating. Instead, he fidgeted awkwardly in place, his eyes drifting from the wall to the floor, then up to the ceiling. He looked everywhere _except_ at his personal assistant.

Homura focused the full force of his stare on the redhead, lifting the underwear up to dangle it in front of Matsubusa. "Matsubusa. What were you doing?" When the redhead didn't answer, Homura stepped closer. "What were you doing, Matsubusa?"

"...Nothing," Matsubusa muttered, pointedly stepping back away from Homura.

Homura stared at Matsubusa in silence. With his initial anger gone, logic began to filter in. Homura always did Matsubusa's laundry for him so there was no explanation for why Matsubusa'd _suddenly_ decide to start doing his own laundry; and even then, that fact didn't entirely apply to the situation - a single pair of underwear didn't count as 'laundry'. For all of Matsubusa's foolishness, even _he_ knew what washing machines were for. Something wasn't adding up, and Homura's brain was slowly trying to figure out _what_.

The personal assistant continued to stare at his leader, who fidgeted and squirmed under his stare like a child caught in the act. In the act of _what_ , he didn't know, but Matsubusa was absolutely guilty of something. And that guilt went way beyond using dish soap on his underwear. The question then became _why_ Matsubusa had felt compelled to do such a thing, and what exactly had been the point.

Homura's brow continued to crease as the gears in his head churned, before they slowly raised upwards. "...Matsubusa, did you... soil your under-"

Matsubusa rewarded Homura with a strangled shriek of outrage and embarrassment. The words garbled, the redhead still insisted on hurling them at his personal assistant as he lashed out to grab the wet undergarments from Homura's hands. With the parcel firmly in the redhead's grip, Matsubusa whirled on his heels and rushed to his bedroom. Homura could only gape as the redhead disappeared in to the bathroom attached to his sleeping quarters, slamming the door shut behind him.

Homura stood awkwardly in the kitchen as he stared after the redhead, long after he had retreated. His eyebrows furrowed slowly before he turned his gaze to Dante, the Houndoom having watched the entire exchange from the couch - and _not_ Matsubusa's bed, where he usually slept. The personal assistant stared at the Houndoom for several moments, then looked back to the closed bathroom door.

Homura remained silent for what seemed like an eternity before he let out a weary sigh, slouching his shoulders. "I... should probably wash my hands." The personal assistant turned to the sink, rolling up his sleeves as he turned on the water. "That man is going to be the death of me."

Inside the bathroom, Matsubusa unceremoniously threw his underwear across the room. They hit the wall with a sloppy _splat_ , before flopping down in to the bathtub. The redhead then ripped off the rubber clothes and threw them in the tub for good measure before he collapsed on to the floor. Hugging his legs, he squatted down on the floor and buried his face in to his knees.

'Humiliated' couldn't even _begin_ to describe what he felt, as visions of living out the rest of his days in the bathroom in order to avoid Homura played out in his head. There was no way to explain what had happened, no _desire_ to explain it – not to Homura, not to himself. He just wanted the whole situation to disappear, forever. It was even _preferable_ , as horrifying as it was, for Homura to believe he had wet the bed like a child.

There was no way he could let his personal assistant know the truth.

"That bastard... it's all that bastard's fault!" Matsubusa choked out as he clenched his fists, gripping his knees tightly. The whole time he had been cleaning his underwear, he had reminded himself that it was only natural. After the bizarre dream the night before, it was only natural that Aogiri's horrifying prank would worsen the situation. It was only _natural_ that he would have another dream, far more intense than the one before. It was only _natural_ that his body would react in ways that a healthy, male body would react. It was only _natural_.

It was _naturally mortifying_.

"Why!? Why, why, why, why, _why_!?" Matsubusa demanded through clenched teeth. He never had such dreams before, never felt such feelings as he did when the pirate had spooned him so close and groped him in ways he had no _business_ doing. By all accounts, he should have reacted with repulsion and anger, he should have shoved his tri-blade switchblade directly in to the pirate's exposed side.

And yet he hadn't. He had stood there, _allowing_ the pirate to do whatever he wanted. And even worse, he had _dreamed_ about _so much more_. And his body had _responded_.

"I-it's all his fault... it's _all_ his fault!" Matsubusa hissed before he lifted his head. "I-it was all that alcohol... it was that _alcohol's_ fault!" Clearly the effects of the night before hadn't fully left his system. The cheap alcohol he was served at the karaoke bar must have lingered in his body, far longer than alcohol had any right to. It addled his mind, his senses, and his _hormones_. The fact that Aogiri had taken advantage of him in such a state made his actions all the more horrific, and all the less in any way a reflection of Matsubusa himself.

It all made _perfect sense_ and was in _no way_ his fault.

"I'm never going to drink again!" Matsubusa said as he clenched his fists. However, as soon as he spoke the words, he immediately thought better of it. "...I'm never going to drink _cheap alcohol_ again!"

At that moment, the door knocked, causing Matsubusa to flinch and whirl to stare at it with wide eyes.

"Matsubusa," Homura's voice came through the door. "Do you want pancakes?"

Matsubusa hesitated before he looked away, unable to respond at first. The wave of embarrassment came flooding back, leaving him speechless.

Homura knocked on the door again. "I'll add chocolate chips."

Matsubusa's eyes widened before they narrowed as he glanced to the door.

When Matsubusa didn't immediately respond, Homura sighed and knocked again. "Fine. _Double_ chocolate chips."

Matsubusa eyed at the door before he finally stood up, holding his robe closed. "...Fine."

"Alright," Homura said, with a small sigh of relief. "Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen, and I'll start making them."

Matsubusa shifted awkwardly as he debated refusing, then let out a low grunt. "Fine."

Homura smiled before he stepped away from the door, heading to the kitchen once more. As he passed the sofa, he gave a small nod to Dante, causing the Houndoom to grin as his tail began to wag. The personal assistant chuckled as he went to turn on the oven. "Works every time."


	8. Chapter 8

The unscrupulous never slept in Hoenn, and thus neither did Team Magma. No matter when, no matter where, Matsubusa and his team were always on the prowl to catch those that thought themselves above the law. Once again, it lead them deep in to an office building, sniffing about computers and filing cabinets, looking for evidence that was inaccessible to the police.

With so much ground to cover, it was inevitable that they would have to split up. While Courtney maintained constant radio contact from her safe location, Tabitha and Kagari led the grunts in scavenging everything and anything of value while Homura and Matsubusa scoured the files for whatever they could. They had very little time to get in and then out before the authorities - or Team Aqua - noticed them.

Matsubusa carefully removed the hard drive from the computer in front of him, before he put it in the box on the desk. "That's the last of the computers on this floor."

Homura picked up the box, glancing about before focusing on Matsubusa. "Alright, then let's head back before-"

"You go ahead, I'll start on the next floor," Matsubusa said, with a shake of his head. He paused when he noticed Homura staring hard at him, unmoving, and scowled. "...I know what you're thinking. But _honestly_ , those idiots can't possibly ambush us _every single time_ we decide to split up."

Homura narrowed his eyes but said nothing, remaining firmly in place.

Matsubusa's cheek twitched before he reached up to touch his brow, only to be blocked by his mask. "Number Two. The faster you go, the faster you can get back. And Tech Master is listening, she will make sure nothing happens to me. Isn't that right?"

"Affirmative," Courtney said. "We've updated security three times since they hacked us. You were there each time, remember?"

Homura paused before he let out a low growl. He knew Courtney well enough to notice the trace of annoyance in her otherwise deadpan tone. "I want you to keep all focus on Leader, understood? If you hear even a bit of _static_ , sound the alarm."

"Tech Master knows what to do," Matsubusa said, with a shake of his head. "So do what _you_ need to do."

Homura's lips pulled tight in to a scowl. "...I'll be _right_ back."

"Understood," Matsubusa said, then turned on his heels and proceeded towards the stairs to the next level.

"I propose our next mission is to get Number Two a hobby," Courtney said.

Homura lingered a moment longer as he watched their leader head upwards, still reluctant to leave. After several more moments, he let out a frustrated noise and dashed for the stairs heading downwards. As Matsubusa had said, the sooner he left, the sooner he'd return. He could only hope he was quick enough to return before anything happened. "Taking care of Leader is a full-time job."

"I vote we take a vacation instead," Tabitha said over the radio. "The only way Number Two will relax is if Leader is too."

"Leader could certainly benefit from a vacation," Kagari said with a giggle. "And Number Two as well. It'll kill two birds with one stone."

"Leader is too busy for a vacation, and trying to focus on the mission," Matsubusa said as he arrived on the next floor, surveying the cubicles for more computers. "Which his admins should be focusing on as well."

Tabitha sputtered for a moment, embarrassed. "Sorry, Leader!"

"Point still stands." Homura replied.

Matsubusa rolled his eyes before he approached the first cubicle and it's computer. He moved the monitor to the side before he removed the case, taking great care as he dismantled the device.

As Matsubusa focused on not damaging the computer or leaving any trace of his action, he failed to notice someone creeping up behind him until they snatched his earpiece to cut him off from the rest of Team Magma. He nearly shouted, when he felt it flush against his back - the familiar warmth that haunted his dreams and created scintillating fantasies of what might have happened that day in the smoky wet warehouse.

"Miss me, Masky?" Aogiri whispered in a throaty tone, his breath tickling the part of Matsubusa's ear that was still somewhat sensitive from the sudden removal of the earpiece.

Matsubusa felt his breathing hitch in his throat as he straightened up immediately, his back stiffening as Aogiri's chest pressed up against it. "Y-you-!?"

Aogiri slipped his arms around Matsubusa's waist and held the rival leader close. "Yes, _me_."

Matsubusa's hands promptly went to grasp at the pirate's arms, his fingers digging in to the wetsuit fabric. "W-w-w-what are you-!?"

"After the last time we tangled, I couldn't get the feeling of your hot body out of my head," Aogiri whispered. "I kept imagining you and me like this, me touching you like so..." He rubbed slow circles along Matsubusa's stomach, eliciting a squeak from the redhead and what sounded suspiciously like a moan. "And hearing those _noises_ of yours that make me so _hot_."

"E-eh, th-that's-!" Matsubusa gasped out, his body trembling as he grasped at the pirate's wrists. The onslaught of sensations was overwhelming him once again, making his head spin as the heat and strange emotions overtook him. "W-why...?"

Aogiri spun Matsubusa around to face him before pinning the redhead against the wall so that Matsubusa could see his smile. "I've fallen hard for you, Masky."

Matsubusa's eyes widened, suddenly finding his back against the wall and Aogiri pressed up against his front. His shock only continued to grow as the pirate's words registered through his confusion. "E-eh!?"

Aogiri traced the contours of Matsubusa's mask until he found warm flesh underneath. "See, all this back and forth we've had going on for a while has excited me like nothing else, and I realized, as I was watching you and me on that video for the umpteenth time, that I wanted _more_. I wanna know what's behind that mask and get closer to the _man_ underneath."

Matsubusa squeaked as he felt Aogiri's fingers against his chin, touching his skin gently before they drifted further along to his cheeks. A hot blush spread across his face, right to where the pirate's hands were suddenly cupping his face. "Y-you... you're just saying that to tease me a-about that damn video!"

"Nope," Aogiri said softly as he savored the warmth of the flushed cheeks against his fingers. "That video made me realize that I should've gotten you alone with _no one_ watching us so I could really cut loose and get to know every inch of you."

Matsubusa felt a shiver run down his spine as the pirate's words brought to mind so many things, so many dreams he had been having of Aogiri doing just what he was implying. The redhead let out a startled squeak, before a stream of incoherent words jumbled all over top of themselves as they left his mortified mouth.

Aogiri couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction. "For starters... I want to hear those noises without that voice changer of yours messing them up." Gingerly, he tipped the mask up ever so slightly to expose Matsubusa's mouth, his thumbs brushing against the other man's lips in the process.

Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he felt the lower part of his face exposed, particularly his mouth. Even hints of his blush was visible as the pirate traced his lips with his thumbs. "E-eh? Ah..."

"Soft," Aogiri murmured. "Softer than I thought you'd be. I've been dying to know how you taste... and I'll bet you've been wondering the same thing about me."

"D-don't talk some... some random garbage...!" Matsubusa gasped out, his voice ringing in his ears as he felt flustered. "Y-you'd p-probably taste like fish..."

Aogiri raised his eyebrows. "Only if I had some for dinner, though tonight it was ribs and cake, so you're going to be disappointed there."

Matsubusa's face continued to blush, his lips quivering under Aogiri's touch. "I-I don't want you tasting like fish!"

Aogiri leaned in closer, smiling. "Well then, tonight's your lucky night."

"E-eh? Ah!" Matsubusa's breathing hitched again as the pirate moved dangerously close, his thumbs shifting to keep the mask up so that he had access to the redhead's lips. He could feel the pirate's breath against his skin, an indirect kiss as a prelude to what the pirate intended to do. "A-ah... I..."

Aogiri felt a rush of excitement course through him as the distance between them grew narrower by the moment. "Damn, I love how cute your voice is." His voice dropped into a throaty rumble. "And I bet I'll love it even more whenever you moan my name."

It felt as though time had stopped as Aogiri drew closer, and Matsubusa found himself holding his breath. It finally settled in the redhead's mind that the pirate was _actually_ about to kiss him, and all the implications that came with that knowledge. "I-I..."

Whatever Matsubusa had been about to say was lost, as a sudden force blew past him and slammed in to Aogiri. The redhead could only stare in confusion as the pirate flew backwards and across the floor before hitting the opposite cubicle, the distance between them suddenly exponentially larger. Matsubusa blinked repeatedly before he looked up sharply to see the eerie, staring face of Willow - Courtney's Chandelure. "C-Cou-Tech Master!?"

Aogiri groaned as he started to sit up, only for a jolt of intense _pain_ to lance through a delicate part of his body, as well as the rest of him, as Courtney jabbed him in the crotch with her cattle prod.

Courtney pulled her weapon back when she was satisfied that Aogiri wouldn't be moving any time soon. "Are you alright, Leader?"

"I... ah, um," Matsubusa hesitated, then swiftly reached up to pull his mask down. "Y-yes!"

Courtney's gaze was intense, even though the mask, as she stared at Matsubusa in silence. After a number of long moments, she tilted her head slightly. "Should I have waited another minute?"

Matsubusa jerked at that, then gripped at the front of his changshan. "N-no! I... nothing happened! _Nothing was happening_!"

"Go wait in the van," Courtney said. "Team Aqua is being a pest to everyone else, but I imagine they have orders to leave you to Aogiri."

Matsubusa paused as he was torn with indecision. However, he could feel Courtney's eyes boring in to him and he soon found his feet moving on their own. "Y-yes, I... I will go! I'm going!"

"D-damn it," Aogiri hissed through his teeth as he tried to resist the minor spasms running through his body. "I'll... take a raincheck... on that kiss... Masky!"

Matsubusa stopped and he glanced back at Aogiri, his emotions swirling inside of him. Not trusting himself to say anything, the redhead quickly disappeared down the stairwell, leaping down the steps two at a time as he bolted away.

Courtney waited until Matsubusa was out of sight before she crouched beside Aogiri and snatched up the earpiece he dropped. "If you're serious about Leader, back off."

Aogiri eyed Courtney, trying to manage a challenging expression despite his twitching. "I ain't one to... g-give up so easy."

"I'm not telling you to give up," Courtney said. "I'm telling you to give Leader _space_. If you really do like him and want him to like you, you'll give him a chance to figure out how _he_ feels and let him speak up about what he wants. If you keep pushing hard like this, he's going to hate you instead." She was unmoved by Aogiri's dumbfounded expression as she straightened up. "Push him too fast again, and I'll crank up the voltage next time."

"W-wait a sec," Aogiri said before Courtney could leave. "So does that mean... you _want_ me to seduce Masky?"

Courtney tapped Aogiri's arm with her prod, giving him a minor jolt that made him yelp. "I want Leader to be _happy_." She turned to walk away. "If that involves you, then you better get with the program and figure out how you can make that happen."

"W-wait!" Aogiri shouted as he struggled to sit up. He felt a little encouraged when Courtney stopped. "If you've g-got any id-deas... I wanna hear 'em."

Courtney turned back to Aogiri and used her free hand to stroke her Chandelure partner. "For starters, there are more romantic ways to have your first kiss. Being ambushed in a dark room and pinned down by someone who wants to have his way with you only works in smut and when you _want_ it to happen."

Aogiri's expression twisted a little as he took in those words. "So, wait... you're saying...?"

Courtney pointed her cattle prod at Aogiri, making the tip spark for a moment. "Leader _doesn't_ know what he wants. Not yet. Give a good enough argument for why he should trust you to give you that chance, and _maybe_ he'll like having his _second_ kiss with you that way."

The words had a sobering effect on Aogiri, leaving him unable to think of a reply before Courtney left him alone in the office with a lot more to think about than just how soft Matsubusa's skin felt against his.

* * *

Matsubusa made it back to the van before Courtney did, a fact that alarmed him as he had believed her to be right on his heels. He stopped and quickly looked around before pacing the vehicle. Just before he was about to go bolting back inside the building with the rest of his team, he saw Courtney and Willow approaching. He watched as his admin recalled her Pokémon, then gestured inside the van. The redhead hesitated, then did as he was instructed. He carefully climbed inside the vehicle before he sat down in the floor, resting on his knees.

Courtney knelt beside her leader and closed the door to the van, giving them privacy. She made a show of taking out her earpiece before setting it aside along with her mask. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Matsubusa glanced up at Courtney before he looked away, his blush still present. "P-please... don't tell Homura. He'd... just yell and... make things... even more complicated..." His voice was quiet, and surprisingly meek.

Courtney wordlessly leaned into Matsubusa and wrapped her arms around him as she nodded.

Matsubusa jumped slightly before he slumped against Courtney, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "...This is so stupid..."

"It's okay if you like him," Courtney said in a voice that was surprisingly gentle.

Matsubusa blinked at that before he furrowed his brow. He was thankful that the mask kept his face hidden, as he could only imagine the range of vulnerable feelings flashing across it. "...Even if he's an insufferable ass..."

"Even if he's a dumbass fratboy jock whose idea of romance is pulling pigtails," Courtney said.

Matsubusa considered that before he leaned against Courtney, closing his eyes. "...He probably lied. I bet he really would've tasted like fish."

Courtney let out a brief snort of laughter. "If the talk I gave him sank in, he'll probably make sure to use a breath mint first next time."

Matsubusa chuckled, weakly. "So long as the moron doesn't think booze counts as a breath mint."

"You just have to tell him," Courtney said. "If he doesn't listen to you, then I'll shock his crotch again until he learns to listen."

"...I'll hold you to that," Matsubusa murmured as he let out a soft sigh. "Assuming he's lucky enough to get the chance."

"He'll get the chance only when _you're_ ready to give it to him," Courtney said gently as she gave Matsubusa a pat on the back. "If he doesn't respect that, then it just means he's not worth wasting your time on."

Matsubusa nodded, brushing his mask against Courtney's shoulder. "R-right... you're absolutely right..."

"Whenever you want to talk about how you feel about him, I'll listen," Courtney said. "Whatever your feelings - like, dislike, or both - they're valid because they're _yours_ , and you have the right to feel them."

Matsubusa leaned back as he reached up to slip his hand under his mask, wiping at his eyes to remove some annoying moisture that had decided to show up for no apparent reason. "...Since when have you been so knowledgeable about this sort of thing?"

Courtney straightened up so that she could lock her intense gaze onto Matsubusa. "It's _my_ hobby to overanalyze romantic couples to ensure the ships I sail are only the absolute epitome of perfection."

Matsubusa stared at Courtney for a moment. Before he could even think of a response, the van door suddenly flung open, causing the redhead to whip about and stare as he suddenly found himself face to face with a panicked and ruffled Homura.

 "L-Leader!" Homura gasped out. "You're safe!"

Courtney's expression returned to its standard deadpan. "I already told you over communications that I handled it."

Matsubusa blinked before he arched an eyebrow, looking at his personal assistant. "...What happened to _you_?"

"T-that redhead and the Feraligatr teamed up on me," Homura growled as he gripped the side of the van. " _He_ went after you, didn't he?"

Matsubusa hesitated, unable to find the words to reply. Thankfully, Courtney cut in so that he didn't have to.

"It's under control," Courtney said, her voice back to its normal monotone. "You could've stuck around to flirt some more with the redhead you think has a nice right hook."

Homura jerked at that before he whirled to face Courtney. "I-I wasn't _flirting_ -!"

Courtney's expression remained unchanging as her stare pierced right through Homura's mask. "Ships like yours sail rough and need extra effort to make them work."

The approaching voice of Tabitha distracted Matsubusa from the staredown. "Seriously, is there a reason why you keep snickering or what?"

Matsubusa could see Tabitha and Kagari coming, walking side-by-side as they headed back to the van. While he couldn't see Kagari's face, he got the direct impression that she was smiling. With a frown, the redhead turned to Tabitha, looking for the reason to her amusement.

A perfectly pressed mark of ruby red lipstick placed on Tabitha's mask over his painted mouth was the first thing that caught Matsubusa's eye. The leader of Team Magma could only think of one person who wore such a vivid shade, and she was _not_ a member of his team.

"Glad to see you're safe, Leader," Tabitha said with a sigh of relief.

Matsubusa gaped at Tabitha's mask before he whipped around to look at Courtney.

Courtney turned her intense gaze to Tabitha, which made him squirm uncomfortably.

"What?" Tabitha asked, uneasy with how everyone was looking at him. "Is there something on my face?"

Courtney turned to Matsubusa. "And sometimes ships sail themselves."


	9. Chapter 9

Dusk had settled on the horizon, the weather peaceful and calm without a cloud in the sky. It was the end to a perfectly pleasant day, and it seemed unthinkable that anything would disturb it. However, that impression was wrong - horribly so.

Speedboats darted across the ocean waves, churning up the water to destroy the otherwise tranquil surface as they dragged heavy nets beneath them. Four speedboats in total sliced through the water, curving around as they moved to corral their prey - a pod of Wailmers.

Further back away from the speedboats, a much larger ship loitered about. The captain and his crew stood on deck, watching the scene unfold through binoculars. While some watched the Wailmers or the boats as they moved around the sea, others had their focus on a third party - their Pokémon deep in the water.

Tentacruel and Sharpedo were on the prowl. While the tentacled Pokémon lurked beneath the water to keep the Wailmer from diving too deep, the Sharpedo darted about at high speeds, snapping at the stragglers and terrorizing their targets so that the terrified Pokémon fled in the direction of choice - in to the corral formed by the nets. On the surface of the water, the men on the speedboats used air horns and shouted to further frighten the Wailmers, bringing them closer as the nets grew nearer.

As one of the Wailmers attempted to bolt, escaping the fate of the rest of its pod, one of the Sharpedos chased after it. Moving much more quickly than the larger, slower Pokémon, the Sharpedo lunged with a gaping maw with the single-minded purpose to make an example of the fearful and fleeing prey.

However, it never made it. Seemingly coming out of the depths of the ocean itself, a blur of white and blue shot between the Wailmer and the Sharpedo before a pair of powerful jaws clamped down on the shark Pokémon. Blood spilled out, tainting the water red as Leviathan crushed her jaws down on the writhing, squirming Sharpedo. As the Pokémon continued to thrash, Leviathan snapped her head back and gave a sharp jerk, creating a crimson cloud around her. Just as quickly as it had begun, it was over as a bright light overtook the Sharpedo seconds before it was recalled in to its Pokeball, leaving only the bloodied water.

As Leviathan emerged from the ocean, Aogiri rode on the harness strapped onto his Pokémon's back and let out a wild whoop in the shocked faces of the hunters. "Hey, boys! Mind if we crash your party?"

"Not that we're givin' you bastards a choice!" Ushio shouted from his own position on Typhoon's back, raising his fist skyward as they both emerged from the water as two more flashes of light signified their own victories.

The captain on the main boat brought up his binoculars to get a better look at the interlopers. "What the hell is going on h-"

A foot to the jaw sent the captain sprawling to the deck. Shelly grinned as she dismounted Goliath and moved quickly to bind the captain before he could recover. "Just a little justice on the high seas."

The crew around Shelly looked about ready to rush to their captain's defense when the Garchomp leaned forward, barring his teeth as he let out a low growl that promised immense pain to anyone who even _attempted_ to make good on their thoughts. Goliath slowly moved forward, like a stalking predator as he darted his head about to watch the gaping sailors. He weaved his head back and forth, as if he were swimming through water before he stopped and flared out his arms in an obvious threat.

There was little time for the crew on deck to gather their courage and make a charge, as a blast of water from behind sent most of the men sprawling. Matt smirked as he stood beside Kappa, arms folded. "You really don't pay attention, do you?"

One of the men in the speedboats saw what was happening to his comrades and thought better of the situation, cutting the rope holding the net before going for the throttle. Unfortunately for him, it seemed that Team Aqua wasn't in the mood to let him go. The very moment his motor revved to life, Leviathan was upon him. She lunged out of the water, slamming her stomach down on the wooden boat. The boat shattered upon impact, breaking neatly in two as the Feraligatr fell right through in to the water.

The man on the boat nearly fell into the drink, but Aogiri snagged him by the arm.

"Leaving so soon?" Aogiri asked with false sweetness.

"I-I... _shit_!" was all the man could say as he was held roughly by the large pirate.

Aogiri showed impressive strength as he threw the man over to Ushio. "Pass!"

Ushio laughed as he caught the man effortlessly, then hoisted him up with his arms. "Not in yer pants, I hope!"

It took very little work for Leviathan and Typhoon to take care of the other speedboats, destroying them completely. As Typhoon carried the men back to the boat, with Ushio holding two while the Swampert used the other two like oars, Leviathan dove underwater with Aogiri in tow. She moved over to the net, grabbing it with her claws and gathering it up. She spared the terrified Wailmers only a single glance as she swam about, giving the Pokémon a wide berth as she secured the net. Once she was out of the way, then and only then did the fearful whale-like Pokémon take the opportunity to flee for their lives and swim for the open ocean.

Aogiri waved to the saved Pokémon as they made their escape and took the time to pat one that came close to nuzzle both him and Leviathan in thanks. Through the water he could hear their song, which sounded happy to his ears, and he let out a victorious whoop when Leviathan surfaced.

"Doesn't look like they have any reinforcements waiting to help them," Izumi said, her voice coming over the water-proof earpiece in Aogiri's ear. "They didn't even _try_ to radio for help."

Aogiri let out a snort of laughter. "Amateurs."

Leviathan swam over to the large boat before she gave a mighty lunge upwards, digging her claws in to the side of the hull. As the metal shrieked and groaned beneath her, Leviathan easily scaled the side of the boat before arriving on the deck, joining the rest of Aogiri's crew and their Pokémon.

Aogiri grinned at the sight of the poachers tied and gagged on deck as the grunts took over the ship, looting it of its cargo and securing it to become part of the Team Aqua fleet. "Great work, crew! That was as smooth as glass."

"Bwa _ha_!" Ushio laughed as he put his hands on his hips. "That was _nothin'_ for Team Aqua!"

"Aogiri!" Izumi's voice came over the earphones, causing the captain of Team Aqua to pause. "You're not going to believe who's coming!"

Aogiri frowned and a terrible suspicion brewed in his mind as he heard the sound of helicopter blades cutting through the air approaching on the horizon. "It starts with an M and ends with an ass, doesn't it."

"Bingo." Izumi said, simply.

All eyes turned to the sky as the helicopter sounds grew in volume before the black flying vehicle finally appeared in the sky, seemingly coming out of the clouds themselves. It didn't lower completely to the water, instead hovering safely above it. It didn't fully approach the boat, keeping a safe distance. After a moment, the side door opened, revealing the ever recognizable leader of Team Magma. He stood in the doorway with a megaphone, staring down at Aogiri as he stood on the deck of their new ship.

Matsubusa held up the megaphone to his face, where the mouthpiece on his mask rested. "Just what the hell do you imbeciles think you're doing?!"

Aogiri tilted his head back, frowning. After a moment of debate, he took a deep breath, cupped his hands around his mouth, and bellowed to be heard around the sound of the helicopter. " _Saving Pokémon_ , how about you?"

"That's _my_ line!" Matsubusa snapped, holding the megaphone. "It looks to me like you're sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong - _again_!"

Aogiri made it a point to look around at the captive crewmen before turning back to the helicopter. "Is that a fact? Looks like we have everything wrapped up nice and neat to me."

"The hell's with this guy?" Ushio grumbled as he crossed his arms, standing on the boat. "He's not here to _stop_ us, is he-?"

At that moment, one of the men on the boat darted past Ushio. The sailor weaved around the Pokémon and Aqua admins with surprising speed before coming up right on Aogiri. Leviathan jerked about as she heard the sailor coming but couldn't move in time as the sailor suddenly planted both of his feet firmly on Aogiri's back, kicking him forward. Aogiri barely had a chance to cry out in surprise as he fell forward over the side of the boat with the sailor on his back, riding him like a surfboard.

Just as Aogiri went over the side, the sailor crouched before leaping forward in to the air, using the captain of Team Aqua to spring forward. As the sailor soared through the air, a sudden burst of fire came from the clouds as Blaze the Talonflame appeared from within them. Diving past the helicopter, the Talonflame swooped down underneath the jumping sailor, so that the man could land solidly on the bird's back. Blaze quickly took off, putting some distance between the boat as Aogiri roughly hit the water, with Leviathan promptly diving in after him.

As Blaze came to a stop a distance from the boat, the sailor finally turned to reveal that he - or rather _she_ had put on the white Magma admin mask, revealing themselves to be Kagari. She giggled, though the sound was obstructed by the sound of the helicopter, as she undid her vest to allow her bindings to ease, her bosom becoming obvious in her shirt. "Thank you for the rescue, Leader, but I told you I had everything under control."

Aogiri surfaced quickly with Leviathan's help. Fortunately, his extensive amount of diving experience kept him from choking on sea water, but he had to gulp down air before he could properly see the culprit that sent him on an unexpected swim. "I suppose I should be grateful you weren't wearing those daggers you call heels!"

Kagari giggled as she tilted her head. "I'd imagine you would've noticed a _man_ in heels."

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, _wait_!" Ushio sputtered as he stared at Kagari. "Y-you mean... that was _you_!? Where the hell did you hide your boobs!?" As if to emphasize his point, he held his his hands in front of his chest, in a cupping gesture.

Kagari rolled her eyes, not that Ushio could see it, as she turned her attention down to Aogiri. "I suppose you'll find it a small consolation that you ended up saving the captain's life with your little escapades. Had you been even a moment later, I would have snapped his neck."

Aogiri felt a bit of satisfaction despite his humiliation. "Glad to keep you lot from staining those red uniforms with even more blood!"

"It never ceases to amaze me how completely _idiotic_ you are," Matsubusa snarled through the megaphone as he gripped the side of the helicopter. "What exactly will it take to make you realize that you have no hope against us?"

"See, that's funny," Aogiri shouted. "You think this is about you, when it was all about saving these Wailmer! I know you've got a magnificent body, Masky, but not everything I do revolves around your hot ass!"

Matsubusa paused at that and quivered slightly, his face turning deep red under the mask. He sputtered a but before he gripped the megaphone tightly. "Y-you bastard! If you seriously expect me to believe that you weren't just trying to _spite_ me-!"

Aogiri tapped Leviathan's head. "Levi, cool this hothead off."

Leviathan grinned before she looked up at Matsubusa, wiggling her brow.

Matsubusa frowned, uncertain what Aogiri meant. Unfortunately, the answer became clear soon enough. Leviathan reared up in the water as she took a deep breath before she spat a burst of water at the helicopter. Matsubusa barely had a moment to yelp as he was suddenly sprayed with the water, jerking backwards. He dropped the megaphone in to the ocean as he clasped on to the side of the door with both hands, bracing himself. " _B-b-b-bastard_ -!"

Aogiri laughed long and loud as watched Matsubusa flail about. "So now that evens things up, Masky, what do you say you and me go out for some dinner together?"

Matsubusa sputtered as he reached up to make certain his mask was still on his face, then glared down at Aogiri. His face continued to burn as he clutched the side of the helicopter. "Y-you... you think you can just get away with mocking me-!? Y-you're going to _pay_ for this!"

"Oh come on," Aogiri chuckled. "You wanna stick me with the bill when you fly around in fancy helicopters?" He leaned back slightly. "Okay, sure, I'll pay for dinner, but I get to pick the place."

Matsubusa jerked at that, his face burning bright red. He hesitated before he grit his jaw. As always, Aogiri was merciless in his taunts, honing right in on the areas he was most uncomfortable with. It was as if the pirate _knew_ about the problems he had been having, the problems _Aogiri_ had caused. "Y-y-y-you...!" His voice broke, though he hoped his mask's built-in voice changer obstructed the sound enough to make it not noticeable. "You're quite determined to... to bring _that_ up every time, aren't you!?"

"That's not the only thing I brought up," Aogiri said, waggling his eyebrows until he realized Matsubusa was likely too far away to see the gesture.

While Matsubusa couldn't see the eyebrows, but he could certainly hear the innuendo. He gaped down at Aogiri before he sputtered, his voice going high-pitched and incoherent in his embarrassment as he pointed down at Aogiri. The accusation was in his voice, even if it couldn't actually be heard, and only his mask spared him from Aogiri seeing how mortified his face was.

"I don't mind bringing it up again!" Aogiri laughed. "And again and again... As many times as you can take it!"

Matsubusa let out a shriek of anger before he was suddenly grabbed by Homura, who dragged him in to the helicopter. He turned to Blaze and nodded at his Pokémon before he slammed the door shut, sealing Matsubusa inside and Aogiri _out_. He turned to Tabitha as the man sat in the pilot's seat, the personal assistant wrapping a towel around Matsubusa. "Get us out of here."

Tabitha frowned, but nodded, and soon the helicopter was winging its way back to Hoenn, leaving Team Aqua behind. Blaze followed, carrying Kagari to safety until both helicopter and Pokémon disappeared in to the sunset.

A few moments passed after Magma had left, and Leviathan had gotten back to the boat, pulling Aogiri out of the water. The sun was quickly setting, making it far too dangerous to remain in the water as nighttime finally settled down in Hoenn. The Aqua admins gathered around Aogiri, the rest of the captured crew and captain being watched over by the grunts.

"Shot down, huh?" Izumi said, her voice coming through the earpiece. "He totally lost it."

Aogiri shook his head with a wry smile. "I've got my foot in the door, I can tell. I just gotta keep driving Masky crazy until he realizes it too."

Ushio reached up to rub the back of his head. "Looks more like you got your foot up his ass with how he keeps actin', but I've never been good at readin' people."

Laughter escaped Aogiri despite his failure at flirting. "Trust me, the way Masky keeps reacting, he's _really_ into me and _hates_ it."

Shelly cocked an eyebrow. "So how do you plan on making him _not_ hate it?"

Aogiri's grin broadened. "That's easy - I just gotta keep letting him know I'm interested until he finally cracks and takes me up on it."

"Easy, huh?" Izumi said over the radio, then sighed. "Well, you'll have enough chances for it, so what the hell. Even when we're _not_ actively seeking them out, it seems we still somehow manage to find them."

"I'd still like to know how the hell she hid her boobs," Ushio grumbled, then glanced at Shelly and Matt. "Any chance either of you remember her face?"

Shelly let out an unpleasant rumble at the back of her throat. "There's no way I would've missed her when I was checking the captives. She must've hid the minute we got on the boat."

"Damn," Ushio sighed, crossing his arms. "We weren't even _tryin'_ to screw with 'em and we end up busting the baddies before they got a chance to."

Matt stifled a chuckle behind his hand. "I'll bet that _really_ burns them up."

"Especially Masky~!" Izumi agreed, with a chuckle. "Anyway, I'd say it's time to call it a day - and time to celebrate our double victory."

"Hell yeah!" Ushio said as he lifted his fists, jutting them skyward. "Let's drop these assholes off for their appointed date with the police, and get to down to _business_ \- and _booze_!"

Aogiri placed his hands on his hips and breathed deep of the clean sea air. "We did good, ladies and gents. We did _real_ good."

\---

Homura could tell that Matsubusa was nervous about something. The redhead tried his best to hide it, but the personal assistant could tell anyway. It wasn't just because of Matsubusa's horrible poker face, though it certainly didn't help matters. Homura knew his leader, and knew the tell-tale signs.

First and foremost, Matsubusa was _quiet_ as he ate his breakfast. He hadn't complained about the wait a single time, fidgeting quietly as Homura cooked the food. When the personal assistant finally finished and served the redhead his plate, Matsubusa avoided looking at Homura as he accepted the meal. Even as Homura turned to begin cleaning up the mess, the redhead remained silent and picked at his plate.

Homura let it go, at least for the moment. Despite his curiosity, he knew that probing would only result in Matsubusa becoming flustered and denying everything. Homura'd give the redhead time to broach the subject on his own, though the personal assistant would definitely confront him if Matsubusa hadn't gotten the courage to do so by lunchtime.

Thankfully, Matsubusa seemed unwilling to wait that long. Finally setting his fork and knife down on the plate, the redhead glanced up to Homura, staring at his back. It was easier to start the conversation this way, without Homura's piercing eyes on him – even if he knew it wouldn't last. Matsubusa cleared his throat, bringing up his hand to his mouth. "Homura."

"Yes?" Homura asked, his tone light as he washed at the pans in the sink.

"I... need you to go shopping for me," Matsubusa said, his voice breaking. He flinched when he saw Homura pause, then glance over his shoulder at the leader of Team Magma. "I... need more undergarments."

Homura set the pan down in the sink, furrowing his brow as he turned to face the redhead. "Didn't I just buy you some?"

Matsubusa looked away, his face turning red as he stared down at his plate. "Yes, well... they're gone. I... only have two pairs left."

" _Gone_!?" Homura gawked at Matsubusa, his eyebrows shooting straight up. "What do you _mean_ they're _gone_!?"

Matsubusa's face turned a dark shade of red as he hesitated. Truthfully, ever since the last time he had a morning incident, the redhead had decided it was simply better to _throw away_ his underwear rather than risk Homura seeing him clean it, or _worse_ , stumble upon the suspicious stains while doing the redhead's laundry for him. As expensive as the underwear was, it was a justifiable cost if it meant preventing his personal assistant from discovering his _shame_. Unfortunately, with wet dreams happening almost every night, it meant that his underwear supply was running dangerously _low_ very quickly. "They're... they're gone."

" _How_ are they _gone_!?" Homura demanded, crossing his arms. "Are you _losing_ them?"

"Er, no, I...," Matsubusa trailed off, his face turning even more red as his eyes drifted away from the table. They scanned across the room, as if the furniture would somehow give him the excuse he needed to keep Homura from pressing any further. The redhead's eyes soon fell on Dante, who was still in the process of eating his own breakfast, wolfing down the mixture of meat and Pokémon kibble that made up his breakfast. "...Dante did it."

Homura paused at that, blinking. He turned to the Houndoom in question, who lifted his head at the mention of his name. "Dante?"

"Dante's...," Matsubusa began, fumbling with his words as guilt flooded him before he could even finish throwing his Pokémon under the proverbial bus. "Dante's been taking them and chewing them up."

"... _What_!?" Homura thundered, turning fully to face the Houndoom. "Dante!?"

Dante stared at the two men with wide, confused eyes, his ears cocking upward against his horns. Though he, like most Pokémon, lacked the ability to speak, his body language clearly said, "Who, _me_?"

Homura frowned, furrowing his brow at the Pokémon's confusion. "...Dante, are you _really_ destroying Matsubusa's underwear?"

Matsubusa flinched before he clasped his hands together, close to his chest so that Homura couldn't see the pleading gesture. He mouthed 'please' over and over as he gave his Pokémon a desperate look.

Dante looked at Matsubusa for a moment before he sighed out a small plume of flame. Calmly, he rose and made his way to his trainer's bedroom, pausing outside the door until Homura caught on to follow. Once inside, he delicately pulled open one of the dresser drawers with his teeth and neatly removed the nearest article of clothing - a nice pressed pair of pants.

Dante then proceeded to tear the pants apart with his teeth, growling and shaking his head vigorously as he ripped the fabric, his defiant eyes never leaving Homura.

Homura jumped, startled, before he lunged to try to snatch back the garment of clothing, though they were already well beyond the point of rescue. "Dante! Dante, _no_!"

Dante danced around Homura with great agility, dodging every attempt to salvage the clothes until he thoroughly reduced it to nothing more than scraps of cloth.

" _Dante_!" Homura growled in frustration, finally snatching away the ruined pants before he held them up furiously. "By _Arceus_ , you're not a _puppy_ anymore!" Homura's anger only grew as Dante yawned at the lecture and made a show of rolling his eyes. "Do you have any idea how much this _cost_!?"

As Homura seethed at the Houndoom, Matsubusa stood in the doorway, his hands still clasped together as he mouthed 'thank you' to his Pokémon. As guilty as he felt, especially with the way Homura was chastising the Houndoom, he was also flooded with relief and greatly touched that Dante was setting himself up to take the blame for him. He owed Dante the biggest steak he could find at the market that evening, and he'd make sure the Houndoom got it.

\---

Time moved onward, like a powerful river undeterred by whatever obstacles came in its path. And much like the unyielding river of time, Team Aqua itself moved ever forward. What had started as a little gang of friends years prior was now a monstrous Team filled with people of all shapes and sizes, of all backgrounds; hundreds of people were now banded together under the infamous name of Team Aqua, known across Hoenn and the world.

Such a fact was never more obvious than during dinner time, when the mess hall was filled to capacity with a sea of smiling faces and Aqua logos. There was a constant, dull roar of noise from a multitude of conversation, every seat filled with a body as men and women laughed, chatted, ate, and drank to their heart's content in an atmosphere of camaraderie and care-free jubilation.

No matter how many times Aogiri watched it happen around him, it never ceased to amaze him.

Aogiri leaned back in his chair as he took it all in. Although Team Aqua had been labeled as a criminal organization of eco-terrorists, they did a lot of good for the world. Sure, sometimes they hijacked ships for fun, and they ignored the law when it got in the way of them making sure the oceans were safe, but their hearts were all in the right place. Every person here wanted a better world and had united under one banner tighter than any family bonded by blood. He couldn't help but smile whenever he thought of his beloved Team Aqua.

"Aogiri's got that look again," Izumi said with a sly grin, propping her elbows on the table as she messed around with her Pokédex. The admins all shared a large table with Aogiri, right at the front of the room.

Leviathan rumbled in agreement before she moved closer to Aogiri, spooning him as she rested her head on the top of the pirate's own.

Shelly smirked. "He's not looking ready to hump the table, so I don't think that grin is about Masky this time."

Aogiri snapped back to attention and gave Leviathan's nose an affectionate pat. "Nah, I was just thinking how amazing it is how far we've come, that's all."

"Yeah, no kiddin'!" Ushio said as he leaned back in his chair, which creaked in protest. "When we first started, I didn't think we needed nobody 'sides us. But now, it just seems... natural. The more the merrier!"

"And the more photos," Matt snickered as he held up his Pokédex. "The newbies are such a riot."

"Speakin' of photos," Ushio said as he glanced at Matt, then turned his attention to Aogiri. "It's been years. You ever think about givin' up on Masky and findin' someone who ain't a pain in the ass?"

Aogiri laughed in spite of the situation. "Nah, that guy has me hooked for good."

Shelly leaned against her palm. "You know, it might just be a lost cause. He could have a girlfriend or wife on the side for all you know."

Aogiri shrugged, though the idea prickled somewhat. "Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that I fall a little more for that guy every time we meet."

Matt frowned a little. "So, what, you're just going to keep pining away after him?"

Aogiri flashed the blond a grin. "You say that like he's not responding whenever I flirt."

"That entire beach practically responded when you wore that speedo to the last mission," Shelly remarked. "Wrestling two Sharpedos bare handed? Really?"

"The wrestling part was just for fun," Aogiri said. "The speedo was for Masky, and he couldn't take his eyes off me."

"True, it's pretty cute the way he gets all flustered," Izumi said, before she looked up to grin at Aogiri. "Not as cute as my Puffball, though."

Aogiri raised a skeptical eyebrow as he looked to Izumi. "Oh yeah, that reminds me, maybe you should have Shelly check your eyesight. You've been looking at your computer too hard if you think anyone else is cuter than Masky."

"Oh, I'd say my eyesight is juuuust fine," Izumi said, her smile mischievous. "But there's really no comparison at all~!"

"Of course not," Shelly said before sipping her wine. "Bird boy is the best of the bunch."

Ushio rolled his eyes before he looked to Aogiri. "You gotta admit, though. It's takin' a _real_ long time."

Aogiri propped his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together. "I'm a patient man. Sooner or later, I'm going to get through to Masky, and when I do it's going to be _amazing_."

"He's certainly giving you enough opportunities," Izumi agreed, with a nod of her head. "Who knows? You might actually get to see what's behind that mask someday. Besides, it's not like you have anyone else you're considering, so what's the harm?"

"Yeah, I guess," Ushio said as he scratched at his cheek. "You always did have weird tastes, bro."

Aogiri shrugged, unconcerned. "What can I say? I'm a man who knows what he wants." A wicked glint appeared in his eye, promising many things in the future. "And what I want is to drive Masky _crazy_."

Ushio laughed, smiling brightly. "Well, yer certainly doin' that!"

"I'm getting through to him," Aogiri said as he rested his chin atop his hands, gazing off into the distance to his plans for the future. "Bit by bit, I'm chipping away at him, making him react more and more to me. All I need is just the right opportunity, the perfect chance to corner him alone for a while, and then I'll finally crack that mask of his for good and get at the man aching to get out."

"If that's whatcha want, that's whatcha get," Ushio said with a sage nod as he crossed his arms. "I don't get it, but that don't mean I won't give it my all! Yer gonna get your chance, come hell or high water! That's what Team Aqua's about!"

Leviathan purred in agreement, rubbing the top of Aogiri's head with her chin as she moved it about.

"I'll toast to that," Izumi said as she held up her fruity drink.

"Life's too short not to have fun," Shelly said, raising her glass. "And helping people out along the way makes it even better."

Matt held his root beer float aloft with a wide grin. "This team was the best thing to ever happen to Hoenn!" He stood up, gesturing around the room with his free hand. "Am I right?"

All around the room, members of Team Aqua raised their glasses and cheered, toasting each other with vigor and splashing spirits high into the air.

"An' there's no way we're stoppin' now!" Ushio said as he held up his own bottle of beer. As he moved his drink forward, the others moved their own to meet it. The five friends clinked their drinks together, a sign of their own friendship and determination - to keep protecting Hoenn, to keep living life to the fullest, and to keep being a pain in Team Magma's ass.

As Aogiri and his crew laughed it up, Paula suddenly came up behind him and snatched his drink from his hand. She grinned, wearing the Team Aqua uniform instead of her old waitress one. "And that's your limit, captain~!"

Aogiri stared at his empty hand, his lips still pursed from his failed attempt to take a sip. He tilted his head back, his mouth twisting unpleasantly. "Oh come on, Paula, this ain't the Salty Sea-Dog."

"No, it's not~!" Paula agreed as she wagged her finger at Aogiri. "But you all agreed. Pub or no pub, ten pints is your limit!"

Aogiri straightened up, his expression sour, though his eyes were merry. "Hey, I'm the leader of this bunch, so if I want to override the limit rule, then that's my right as the king of the ocean!"

Matt sipped his root beer with a smug smile before picking up his Pokédex. "Hey, if you want to skip the limit, I don't mind. I'd love to get another video of you drunk off your ass, swearing to the stars that you'll plunder Masky's ass like a cruiser full of illegal cargo."

Aogiri considered the threat before abruptly snagging the pint from Paula's hand and downing a huge gulp before she or anyone else could stop him. "I ain't ashamed to say I dig that fine plot of land!"

Paula giggled as she covered her mouth with her hand. "Aye-aye, captain~!"

The admins laughed, their voices joining with the chorus of merriment all around them. Aogiri quickly joined in, laughing with his crew. The party continued onward, as it always did whenever Team Aqua was involved.

So long as Aogiri and his crew were around, the sea would never be in any better company - and Team Magma would never find a moment's peace. And that fact went doubly so for the leader of Team Magma itself. Never again would they go uncontested, unmolested across Hoenn. What had started with a small scuffle had turned in to a full-blown rivalry, and Team Aqua had no plans to let the fire die any time soon.

All it would take was one moment, one instance, one _opportunity_ , and Team Aqua - and Aogiri - would strike harder and faster than the redhead and his crew would ever be prepared for.

And that's when the fun would _really_ begin.


End file.
